Mark Madden Columns category

Has anyone ever so quickly devalued his reputation with Steeler Nation like Cam Heyward? Training camp seemed to have dodged turmoil when T.J. Watt signed his extension. Then the big-deal leader dictated otherwise. Only Heyward’s biggest apologists see him as being wronged. If he signed a bum deal a year...

The defense of Arch Manning in the wake of his abject failure this past Saturday at Ohio State has been vigorous. Not as vigorous as the defense that shut down the ballyhooed Texas quarterback. Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia confused and flustered Manning, as Patricia’s pedigree of three Super...

Micah Parsons got traded from Dallas to Green Bay, then signed a four-year contract worth $47 million per year. T.J. Watt’s new deal only calls for $41 million per year. Time to hold in. Time to renegotiate. Time for autocorrect. Myles Garrett’s contract in Cleveland pays just $40 million per....

There’s already a buzz surrounding next year’s Pittsburgh Pirates: “This team is close. Closer than people think.” Close to what? Escaping last place in the NL Central seems the only reasonable answer. But maybe not that close and certainly not that soon. (The Pirates are currently seven games out of...

The Pittsburgh Steelers are supposed to be all in. But the Steelers aren’t. They might think they are. They aren’t. You’re not all in when Calvin Austin III is your No. 2 wideout. You’re not all in when Jaylen Warren is your starter at running back. You’re not all in when...

The Cleveland Browns should cut Shedeur Sanders. It’s stupid to have a backup quarterback who is a constant topic of heated debate nationally and locally. It’s distracting and counterproductive. Cutting Sanders means absorbing heat for a few weeks, perhaps a bit longer. Then it goes away. Sanders certainly wouldn’t be...

Bubba Chandler’s MLB debut Friday night at PNC Park was the latest chapter in the sociological experiment that is Pittsburgh Pirates baseball. The Pirates are last in the National League Central because they unequivocally belong there. Despite leading MLB with 15 shutouts. The Pirates have scored fewer runs than any...

Mike Tomlin unloads lots of horse manure when he preaches to the media. One of Tomlin’s greatest hits is that nonsense about “not living in our fears.” The Pittsburgh Steelers do just that all too frequently, not least when they’re in the red zone. The Steelers lay up and settle...

Chris Boswell ending his hold-in without a fuss is understandable. He’s only a kicker. But Cam Heyward suddenly participating in team drills Tuesday was a bit surprising given previous harsh words and Heyward’s mastery of the hold-in genre. Heyward likely caved for two reasons: • He was becoming the clear-cut...

Andrew Heaney was abruptly removed from the Pittsburgh Pirates’ pitching rotation and sent to the bullpen. He had pitched 119 innings, one inning shy of a $50,000 bonus. It reeks of last season, when Rowdy Tellez got released four plate appearances short of a $200,000 bonus. But here’s the difference:...

True believers bleat loudly about the “Steeler way.” But some of that preferred method is stupid. Like rewarding veterans who “wait their turn.” Like making rookies “earn it.” Those two notions may conspire to stifle the Steelers’ running game. Jaylen Warren isn’t a No. 1 back. He’s 5-foot-8. Played at...

Hunker down for refreshing sports notes! But they’re mostly Cam Heyward contract dispute notes, which makes them not so refreshing. Because we endured this less than a year ago. • With first-round pick Derrick Harmon and fifth-round selection Yahya Black bolstering the defensive line, could the Steelers get by without...

Kenny Pickett can’t catch a break. But he’d have trouble catching anything with those small hands. Pickett is continuing his path to obscurity with the Cleveland Browns, his third NFL team in four years. It’s a further reminder of how absurd it was for the Pittsburgh Steelers to select him...

Steelers fans went into the preseason hoping that sixth-round draft pick Will Howard would breathe life into their imagined status of him being a long-term hope at quarterback. He didn’t, and won’t. Howard’s broken finger will likely sideline him for the entire exhibition campaign. Instead, the citizens got a reminder...

This season isn’t a proving ground for third-year tackle Broderick Jones. It’s a proving ground for how the Steelers have developed Jones. So far, the Steelers have mangled it. The Steelers traded up to the 14th pick and took Jones in the 2023 draft. He was seen as a bit...

When Aaron Rodgers was pondering whether to sign with the local football team, Cam Heyward spoke thusly: “Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, or you don’t. It’s that simple.” For Heyward, those aren’t words to live by. A master of the training camp “hold in,” Heyward is indulging...

Somebody employed by the Pittsburgh Pirates’ radio network says the team is talking to Paul Skenes about a long-term contract extension. Breaking news or absolute fabrication? I know how I’m betting. This report strikes me as fiction concocted to dilute negative PR from a trade deadline that reiterated the organizational...

The stooges will soon resume hyping the great Paul Skenes (who wasn’t so great in the sixth inning Saturday) and the coming excellence of prospect Konnor Griffin (got to kick that can down the road). But first, let’s sum up what the Pittsburgh Pirates did at Thursday’s trade deadline: They...

MLB needs a salary cap. The payroll imbalance is too great. Four layers of playoffs disguise and dilute the competitive imbalance by adding an element of randomness. But too many teams have zero chance going into a given season. Or, in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ case, a given decade. A salary...

It’s imperative that the Penguins get a top-five pick in next year’s NHL draft. It’s a top-heavy draft. Potential stars are available, not least Penn State’s Gavin McKenna, the presumptive first choice overall. President of hockey ops/GM Kyle Dubas has done a good job restocking the Penguins’ system. But that...

The Pittsburgh Steelers have three starting cornerbacks: Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay. None is really a slot guy, though that transition is uncomplicated. None is a safety. Coach Mike Tomlin tells us, “They’re (all) gonna be on the field.” But he doesn’t tell us how. It’s intriguing....

Hulk Hogan was the biggest star in wrestling history. His match vs. Andre the Giant in 1987 at WrestleMania III in the Pontiac Silverdome remains the genre’s biggest moment. It made wrestling a true phenomenon. His heel turn to ignite the nWo invasion of World Championship Wrestling in 1996 was...

Caitlin Clark is the only reason for the WNBA’s increase in popularity. Clark gets fouled, injured, disrespected and excluded despite being the rising tide that lifts all boats. (Clark’s eight-year, $28 million deal with Nike makes the hurt easier to live with. Clark works for Nike, not the WNBA. The...

This space recently proclaimed that to justify a contract extension that pays $41 million per season, Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt has to make first-team All-Pro, finish top three in Defensive Player of the Year voting and help the Steelers win a playoff game. If the Steelers win a...

The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost 11 of 12 after being swept at PNC Park by the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox have MLB’s second-worst record this season, lost 121 games last season. But the White Sox outscored the Pirates, 27-7. Owner Bob Nutting doesn’t care. The Pirates drew more...