Breakfast With Benz category

As everyone associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers waits for health updates on T.J. Watt, the team has to create plans if he can’t play Monday night against the Miami Dolphins. Given the personnel the Steelers have at outside linebacker, those contingencies would seem obvious. Then again, have you seen the...

Friday’s “First Call” paints a bleak picture when it comes to T.J. Watt’s playing status for Monday night. A former MLB general manager is mocking the Pirates’ alleged contract offers to some significant free agents. The Penguins need to salvage their homestand against some teams from the Western Conference this...

Thursday’s “First Call” has updates on former Steelers Kenny Pickett and Darius Slay. Changes to the NFL Draft’s first round are coming in time for the event’s arrival in Pittsburgh. And we preview Thursday’s Penguins-Canadiens game at PPG Paints Arena. Pickett playing Former Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is likely to...

When the calendar turns to December, there are always three things you can complain about every year. 1. The cold weather. 2. Mall traffic on McKnight Road. 3. The Steelers. This week reminded me to add two more to the list. • NFL officiating. • What the Pirates are doing...

Wednesday’s “First Call” has Ben Roethlisberger’s take on a controversy from the Steelers-Ravens game. We check in on Minkah Fitzpatrick prior to his return to Acrisure Stadium. We know the officiating crew for the Steelers’ “Monday Night Football” game versus Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins. Plus, we preview a trip out...

In the last few minutes of Mike Tomlin’s news conference Tuesday, WTAE’s Ashley Liotus asked the Steelers’ coach if he felt like he was on the hot seat heading into last week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. “Man, I’ve been in the hot seat for 19 years,” Tomlin responded. Before...

At his weekly press conference, the only thing Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was not asked about was his level of surprise at the news that the Pirates’ “bid” to sign free agent slugger Kyle Schwarber came up short. My guess is that he is as completely stunned as the rest...

Tuesday’s “First Call” has an admission from the NFL about blowing a call in the Steelers-Ravens game. There is a key injury update surrounding Steelers-Dolphins on “Monday Night Football.” The Penguins open a long home stand against a high-scoring opponent, and we have some Tristan Jarry trade rumors. Walking it...

“NFL on CBS” rules analyst Gene Steratore is sticking by his original analysis from Sunday’s Steelers-Ravens game. When it comes to those three controversial calls that helped Pittsburgh win 27-22, the officials got two of them right. Even if Baltimore hates how the rules are written. Making his weekly appearance...

During a full day of debate surrounding three huge officiating calls that benefited the Steelers in their 27-22 win over the Ravens on Sunday, Pittsburgh cornerback Joey Porter Jr. gave his blunt assessment of the pass breakup he got on a play that was initially ruled a fourth-quarter touchdown for...

Monday’s “First Call” has John Harbaugh’s reaction to those officiating controversies in the Steelers-Ravens game Sunday. We look at the Steelers’ next opponent on “Monday Night Football,” and we have odds on the Penn State and Pitt bowl games. Plus, we examine that alleged contractual offer to Kyle Schwarber from...

During this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X had plenty of good things to say about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 27-22 victory in Baltimore. “I thought they did a good job rushing (Lamar) Jackson. I thought Jackson was awful, but I thought that they contained...

It wasn’t quite Charlie Batch leading a stunning upset with a limping Pittsburgh Steelers team in Baltimore in 2012. No. That year, the Ravens were actually good. They were 9-2 at the time and ended up winning the Super Bowl. This year’s Baltimore Ravens team (6-7) is every bit as flawed...

Everyone is talking about Mike Tomlin’s future in Pittsburgh. It’s to the point that even the X’s and O’s of a crucial Steelers-Ravens game have been muted during the dialogue of this week’s Steelers coverage. So for this Friday’s “Football Footnotes,” we get into a bunch of other topics surrounding...

Friday’s “First Call” has Lamar Jackson’s latest health update in advance of his game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. George Pickens was labeled “uninterested” and “disengaged” in Dallas’ “Thursday Night Football” loss in Detroit. The Penguins face another tough opponent after a seesaw win in Tampa. Plus, we lay out the...

We’ve reached the point where many former Pittsburgh Steelers players, national media members and Mike Tomlin true believers are finally ready to admit that it’s time for a change at the head coaching position in Pittsburgh. After 18 full seasons — 14 of which have ended without a playoff victory....

Thursday’s “First Call” has a new destination for former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Darius Slay. The prospect exists that the Steelers might get to face Deshaun Watson when they visit Cleveland after Christmas. The Penguins open up a brutal stretch of games against one of the NHL’s division leaders Thursday...

I don’t even need to ask. I know you’re mad, bro. The Pittsburgh Steelers have now lost 11 of their last 17 games. It’s their record. It’s their effort. It’s their coaching. It’s their roster construction. It’s the franchise’s lack of urgency. It’s the feeling that things are only going...

In Wednesday’s “First Call,” Ben Roethlisberger thinks it’s time for the Pittsburgh Steelers to split from head coach Mike Tomlin — and he suggests that Tomlin should move on to coach Penn State. There is at least one projection that has Penn State playing Pitt in a bowl game. A...

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ run defense stinks. Many times this year, that statement has been true. Like over the first three weeks of the season, when it yielded a combined 418 yards to the New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. Or when Cincinnati’s Chase Brown raced to 108...

Tuesday’s “First Call” has some grumbling reaction from Philadelphia after the Flyers’ loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. James Harrison pans Mike Tomlin. We get injury updates from Baltimore on a few players as the Ravens prepare to host the Steelers. And we preview snowy college basketball showdowns for Pitt and...

According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, despite noticeable crowd unrest at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers are not entertaining the idea of firing head coach Mike Tomlin. “Even discussing firing Mike Tomlin is completely ridiculous,” Rapoport said during “NFL Gameday Kickoff” on Monday. “I don’t see any...

There were 66,068 people at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the Buffalo Bills. They all heard the “Fi-re Tom-lin” chants and the boos for “Renegade.” Actually, I should say only 66,067 people. Because we all know Steelers owner Art Rooney II didn’t hear them. He...

Buffalo’s star running back tells the world why his team was able to exploit the Pittsburgh Steelers on the ground. Aaron Rodgers doesn’t like a question from the media. Linebacker Patrick Queen snaps at a former Steeler via social media. And the Penguins renew acquaintances with the Flyers in Philadelphia....