Breakfast With Benz category, Page 83
First Call: Decisions in New England may impact Steelers coaching staff; Penguins face tough challenge; Pitt looks to rebound
Friday’s “First Call” has an update on a job hunt that involves a Pittsburgh Steelers assistant. The Metropolitan Division in the NHL had an interesting night. The Penguins were aided by some old friends. Also, the Winnipeg Jets are at PPG Paints Arena on Friday. And the Pitt hoops team...
Tim Benz: Steelers need to decide how real its offensive line improvement truly was
In a way, I feel bad for the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive linemen. In a few ways, actually. For one, the fans and media were all so certain that the offensive line was the Steelers’ weakest link that it wasn’t until early November that the public stopped holding the unit responsible...
First Call: Dolphins pass Steelers for dubious playoff stat; interesting college coaching name gets NFL interview
Postseason accolades keep rolling in for Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. A familiar college coaching name that may catch the Steelers’ eye is getting a look from the Denver Broncos. The Steelers have been passed by the Miami Dolphins for a dubious statistical note. In hockey, Connor McDavid keeps dazzling,...
U mad, bro?: Plenty of Steelers fans applaud team’s 9-8 finish, and push back on anyone who doesn’t
I would’ve loved to have included more Pittsburgh Steelers posts in this week’s “U mad, bro?” But I couldn’t because my fellow Trib Sports writers and I are busy coordinating coverage for the Steelers victory parade. Yup. The Steelers annual “Non-Losing Season Celebration” is underway. The route started on Grant...
Tim Benz: Biggest reasons Steelers turned season around — and can they do them again in ’23?
In 2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers started the season 2-6. They ended up 9-8. Here are the five big reasons why they were able to salvage a winning season and a look at if those positives may carry over to 2023. 1. Kenny Pickett started taking care of the ball The...
Jason Zucker adding scoring as he drags Penguins ‘into the fight’
The Pittsburgh Penguins were hosting the New York Rangers in a game before Christmas. Pens winger Jason Zucker shot a puck wide of the net. Like a basketball player crashing the glass for a rebound after a missed jumper, Zucker zipped beneath the goal line to track down the loose...
Tim Benz: Steelers finished strong in ’22, but their trend of awful starts needs to change
The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2022 season winning seven of nine games. As a result, some NFL fans and media members are lobbying for Mike Tomlin to win Coach of the Year. That’s ridiculous. Tomlin had a squad that was 9-7-1 last year and lost in the first round of...
First Call: Ben Roethlisberger wants this Steelers TE to get more involved; Ravens keep Roquan Smith; crazy night in Metro
Ben Roethlisberger wants a certain Pittsburgh Steelers pass catcher to have an increased role next season. Former Steeler James Washington may have a new home soon. Tuesday night was on tilt in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division. Pitt and Duquesne are both on the men’s basketball stage Wednesday. And the Baltimore...
CBS NFL rules analyst on Cam Heyward’s roughing-the-passer call vs. Browns: ‘It was an overreaction’
During his weekly “Zebra Talk” segment on WDVE, CBS NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore described Sunday’s controversial roughing-the-passer penalty against Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward as an “overreaction.” The penalty against Heyward came on a second down at the Pittsburgh 11-yard line. Heyward appeared to simply tackle Deshaun Watson as...
First Call: Mike Tomlin calms talk about Cam Heyward’s status; Terrell Edmunds ponders ‘package deal’ with brother
Tuesday’s “First Call” checks on the future of Pittsburgh Steelers star Cameron Heyward. We also get an update on the NFL’s Edmunds brothers and their plans. Gambling odds are already set for next year’s college football national championship game. The Penguins have a pair of tricky Western Conference teams coming...
Tim Benz: For Steelers, the ‘standard’ is now … pretty standard
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a 9-8 team in a league that wants everybody to be 9-8. There are 32 teams in the NFL, and 16 of them finished with win totals between seven and nine games. There are 16 teams in the American Football Conference. The Steelers finished eighth, one...
Madden Monday: Reflecting on Steelers in 2022 — ‘I just don’t see it as a successful season’
The Pittsburgh Steelers ended the 2022 regular season in what has become very routine territory for them of late. At 9-8, they are .500-ish. This year that’s not good enough to make the playoffs. Last year 9-7-1 was barely good enough to qualify. All too familiar is the fact that...
First Call: Steelers get top pick in 2nd round; Watt brothers honor J.J.; Bengals mock NFL’s coin-flip idea
Monday’s “First Call” sees the Steelers’ draft fortunes improve. Derek and T.J. Watt reach out from Pittsburgh to support their retiring big brother in Arizona. We have AFC playoff odds. The Cincinnati Bengals make fun of the NFL’s coin-flip idea. And Jets coach Robert Saleh apologizes to (almost) everybody for...
Feats of Strength: Some individual applause for beating Browns, but big picture grievances as Steelers miss playoffs
Our biggest grievance this week is that this will be our final “Airing of Grievances” for the 2022-23 season. That’s because the Steelers didn’t get all the help they needed to qualify for the playoffs, despite beating the Cleveland Browns, 28-14, at Acrisure Stadium Sunday. But that’s not entirely true,...
Friday Football Footnotes: Problems with the tweaked AFC playoff proposals; a Jets injury that may impact Steelers
This week’s “Friday Football Footnotes” takes a look at a dent in the Steelers’ playoff hopes. Plus, we examine the tangled web of playoff scenarios the NFL is creating by canceling the Bengals-Bills game. We also look at the long-term ramifications of an in-season rules change and maybe some unintended...
Tim Benz: Throwing shade at NFL nothing but poorly directed attempts to invent blame for Damar Hamlin’s collapse
Maybe we just had too hard of a time processing what we had seen when Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during this week’s “Monday Night Football” game. It was inexplicable. It was unprecedented. It was jarring. Acknowledging that we may have been scared by what we saw...
First Call: Ben Roethlisberger’s admission about Kenny Pickett; Harrison, Ward miss Hall of Fame cut; ex-Steeler WR released
Thursday’s “First Call” features high praise from Ben Roethlisberger for his Steelers quarterback successor. A former Steelers wide receiver is back on the market. Two Steelers greats didn’t make the list of Hall of Fame finalists. The Penguins have a lot to copy from Thursday’s opponent. And Duquesne’s women’s team...
U mad, bro?: Fans torn on too much, too little heat on Matt Canada, Kenny Pickett, Steelers’ late-season push
Is Goldilocks actually a Steelers fan? And if so, she seems to email me a lot. Because I’m getting the sense that, with feedback I get, our criticism of the Steelers is, often, too hot. Strangely, it is just as frequently too cold. Will you folks ever let me know...
Tim Benz: Bills sideline reporter shares account of moments before field was cleared after Damar Hamlin’s collapse
In the wake of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s (Pitt/Pittsburgh Central Catholic) cardiac arrest on “Monday Night Football,” football fans are still waiting to hear from those involved about how the events were handled by the NFL. Thus far, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals players and coaches haven’t commented. The...
First Call: Fellow former Pitt player comes through for Damar Hamlin; huge day for Metro Division rivals
Wednesday’s “First Call” features a first-hand account of how a fellow Pitt Panthers alum aided Damar Hamlin’s mother in her time of need. An ESPN analyst had a very odd take on what happened to Hamlin Monday night. The Duquesne men’s basketball team looks to build on its conference home...
Tim Benz: The Winter Classic looked great, until we looked at how and why the Penguins lost
Monday’s Winter Classic hockey game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins looked great on television. Fenway Park was an excellent venue. The ice seemed to hold up. And the game was tight for three periods. Just one problem. The Penguins lost 2-1 and blew a third-period lead in the...
First Call: Myles Garrett says Browns ‘will do do everything in our power’ to keep Steelers out of playoffs; Dolphins QB update
Tuesday’s “First Call” has some fighting words for the Pittsburgh Steelers coming from a familiar voice in Cleveland. Plus, we have the latest on the Miami Dolphins quarterback situation. That’s a story that could significantly impact the Steelers’ playoff chances. We examine the next opponent for the Penguins and their...
Troy Vincent denies NFL initially gave Bills-Bengals 5-minute warmup window after Damar Hamlin’s injury
The injury to Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin gripped the entire sports world Monday night. The city of Pittsburgh, in particular, watched with concern as the former Pitt Panther and Pittsburgh Central Catholic graduate collapsed on the field in Cincinnati after making a tackle of Bengals receiver Tee Higgins....
Madden Monday: Will the Steelers retain Matt Canada and keep the offensive line together?
Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers have kept their playoff hopes alive heading into the final week of the season, maybe it’s time to change our eye level on how they managed to do it. In other words, after a 16-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens to improve to 8-8 on...
First Call: Update on Miami QBs; checking Deshaun Watson’s progress before Steelers game; Winter Classic preview
Part of the path for the Pittsburgh Steelers to make the playoffs is getting a win against the Cleveland Browns and seeing a loss from the Miami Dolphins. In Monday’s “First Call,” we check on the Dolphins’ quarterback situation and how Deshaun Watson is doing under center in Cleveland. We...
