Mark Madden Columns category, Page 27
Mark Madden: With Bengals-Bills postponed, pushing back NFL playoffs seems to be best option
As most said sincerely but a few said by way of disclaimer, everything else was utterly insignificant compared to Damar Hamlin clinging to his life in the wake of the Buffalo Bills safety collapsing during “Monday Night Football.” But that doesn’t mean everything else was utterly insignificant. That game’s result...
Mark Madden: There are still warts, but the Steelers have proven something
Rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett has assembled two straight dramatic winning drives. The running game has improved. The offensive line is much better. The Pittsburgh Steelers have rallied from 2-6 to 8-8 and are still in the playoff hunt as Week 18 beckons. Everything adds up to the much-maligned Matt Canada...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Numbers don’t lie for Steelers QB Kenny Pickett
Kenny Pickett ranks 31st among NFL quarterbacks in yards per attempt at 6.1. Pickett ranks 31st in yards per game at 185.5. Pickett ranks 31st with a passer rating of 75.7. Pickett ranks 33rd with a touchdown percentage of 1.5. Pickett ranks 27th with an interception percentage of 2.7. Pickett...
Mark Madden: Refusing to play smarter hockey, Penguins lose via foolishness, arrogance
The Pittsburgh Penguins got routed 5-1 on Long Island on Tuesday. That’s OK. Every team in every sport has the occasional terrible game. But Wednesday’s 5-4 overtime loss to visiting Detroit revealed a lot that’s wrong with the Penguins. Their problems are great, and they are many. (I’ve used that...
Mark Madden: Steelers are flawed in assembly, administration but blessed by perception
As the Pittsburgh Steelers cling to their 2% chance of making the playoffs, it might be more fun to look ahead to next year. On second thought, maybe not. Their problems are great, and they are many. This space has mentioned how rallying to 7-8 will enable the Steelers’ failures...
Mark Madden: You think the Steelers are close, but close to what?
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ win on Franco Day was dramatic, inspirational and happy. It was cool more than cold. That’s saying something given game-night temperatures. Despite the frigidity, it might have been better in person than on television. The crowd at Acrisure Stadium was small but rabid. It deserved that victory....
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Mitch Trubisky should remain Steelers’ backup plan next season
The Steelers should keep Mitch Trubisky as their backup quarterback next season. It should be an easy decision. Trubisky is comfortable coming in mid-game. He’s a mature, seasoned pro. His salary cap hit for next season is $10.6 million. Combined with Pickett’s cap figure of $3.2 million, the Steelers’ investment...
Mark Madden: Hurricanes’ forecheck, shooting make for tough matchup for Penguins
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Refreshing sports notes nipping at your nose… • Carolina beat the Penguins for the second time in five days Thursday. The Hurricanes would be a hard playoff matchup for the Penguins. Their man-to-man method of forechecking frustrates, and their style of putting pucks on...
Mark Madden: Like play that made him famous, Franco Harris was catalyst for all ’70s Steelers accomplished
If the Immaculate Reception happened now, with plentiful camera angles and replay review, would Franco Harris’ touchdown stand? Probably. The call on the field was a touchdown. None of the video available concludes decisively that it was incorrect. That the ball bounced directly from Frenchy Fuqua to Harris, which was...
Mark Madden: Steelers create illusion with old-fashioned victory behind defense, running game
The Pittsburgh Steelers won the old-fashioned Steelers way on Sunday. They rushed for 156 yards. They possessed the ball 36 minutes. They had a 21-play drive that took 12 minutes and ended with a touchdown. They played solid defense, especially in the red zone. They were 12 for 16 on...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Expect Tristan Jarry to get extension, hefty raise from Penguins
The Penguins retained their key free agents this past offseason, most notably Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. But GM Ron Hextall faces another challenge this coming summer when goaltender Tristan Jarry gets to free agency. Jarry, 27, is in the last season of a three-year contract with a cap hit...
Mark Madden: Mismanagement of Steelers’ quarterback situation spans years
The Pittsburgh Steelers have thoroughly mangled their quarterback situation. That mismanagement could reach a new crescendo Sunday at Carolina if Mason Rudolph starts. Yesterday’s object of ridicule becomes today’s unlikely hero. Unless he screws up. Things first got botched when the Steelers eschewed any sort of succession plan as Ben...
Mark Madden: Alex Ovechkin deserves respect, but is he worthy of top-5 all-time status?
After putting his previous four goals into an empty net, Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals got three past a goalie Tuesday night, the last of those giving him 800 on his career. There’s no belittling Ovechkin’s empty-net success. They don’t ask how; they ask how many. After Mario Lemieux...
Mark Madden: Go ahead and blame Mitch Trubisky for loss, but Steelers have many warts
When Kenny Pickett relieved Mitch Trubisky in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 4 home loss to the New York Jets, Pickett threw three interceptions. That was OK. The kid has a lot to learn. Be patient. When Trubisky relieved Pickett and served up three picks in Sunday’s home defeat vs. Baltimore,...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: George Pickens’ outburst wasn’t a problem, but where does it lead?
Wide receiver George Pickens exploded on the Pittsburgh Steelers sideline last Sunday at Atlanta because he wants the ball more. Pickens’ outburst has been excused by his coach, teammates and the media that cover the Steelers. A competitor should want the ball, we’re told. You’d rather have to say “whoa”...
Mark Madden: Longtime Penguins executive, coach Eddie Johnston belongs in Hall of Fame
Halls of Fame have lost much of their significance. Too many mediocrities get inducted, turning them into Halls of Very Good, or even less. Baseball’s best hitter ever isn’t enshrined at Cooperstown. That discredits the institution, not Barry Bonds. But if I can make a legit case for somebody who’s...
Mark Madden: The Steelers could win out, but the season’s a lost cause anyway
The Steelers aren’t very good. But they are determined. Coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t necessarily make his teams or players better. But he does get those in his employ to compete doggedly and pursue lost causes. The Steelers are more likely to collapse when they’re on a roll than to pile...
Mark Madden: Steelers winning streak is no renaissance, just bad football
Refreshing sports notes: As delicate and delicious as a field-goal attempt pinging off the goal post, then dropping in for three points. Matthew Wright is a trick-shot artist. • The Steelers defeated two lousy teams by narrow scores, nearly blowing the game in the second half both times. The Steelers...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: U.S. men’s soccer team accomplished nothing, as expected
Let’s finally bury the romantic notion that U.S. men’s soccer will ever be anything more than it was at this year’s World Cup. It won’t be. The U.S. team did exactly like expected. It scored just two goals in three games to narrowly navigate its way through a weak group...
Mark Madden: Don’t cancel Jack Edwards for harmless Pat Maroon fat jokes
Pat Maroon is maybe five pounds overweight. He’s a professional hockey player. How fat could he be? But the Tampa Bay winger nonetheless became a martyr for the overweight via an incident that took petty and self-righteous to a whole new level. Jack Edwards does play-by-play for Boston Bruins games...
Mark Madden: Penguins’ Sidney Crosby making deserved case for 3rd Hart Trophy
Sidney Crosby doesn’t split the defense as often as he used to. If you’re looking for things the Pittsburgh Penguins captain doesn’t do at 35, that’s it. Everything else is business as usual. Crosby has maintained his skills and style at the same level he has kept up his conditioning....
Mark Madden: Penguins have shown they can be good but also inconsistent and stubborn
The Penguins had won five straight going into Saturday’s home game vs. Toronto. They reminded us that they could still be a good team. Then, in that game, they reminded us that they could be a bad team. They lost handily, 4-1. A mangled line change gifted Toronto’s Mitch Marner...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: If you don’t like soccer, go watch the boring NFL
The United States tied England in World Cup group play 0-0. The usual American outrage immediately began to flow. It mostly revolves around not enough goals and a game concluding in a tie. “Why would I watch a game that ends 0-0?” The easy answer: don’t. Soccer is popular far...
Mark Madden: Few seem to understand the gravity of Steelers’ situation
The Pittsburgh Steelers are terrible. As bad as their 3-7 record. But the Steelers myth continues. The horse manure gets laid on thick. This guy is playing well. That guy is playing well. T.J. Watt is a menace. Kenny Pickett is improving. Mike Tomlin is a Hall of Fame coach....
Mark Madden: Diontae Johnson hasn’t performed like the Steelers’ No. 1 receiver
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-7. It’s hard to remember when they were this far out of the playoff race this quickly. Maybe 2003, when the Steelers started 2-6 and finished 6-10. They lost their first four games in 2013 but rallied to go 8-8 and miss a wild card by...
