Tim Benz Columns category, Page 114

Welcome to town. Now go fight for the job opening you just thought you were hired to fill. That is the message being sent by the Steelers to each of their three significant free-agent signees this offseason. Inside linebacker Mark Barron, formerly of the Rams, inked a two-year, $12 million...

Ben Roethlisberger admitted to KDKA-TV that his comments about Antonio Brown after last season’s loss in Denver went too far. He apologized for that during a sit down with Bob Pompeani that aired Monday. That wasn’t good enough for Mr. Big Chest. As Roethlisberger himself pointed out, sometimes when it...

You probably liked the numbers ESPN.com’s Brian Burke gave us about the Steelers pass-rush Thursday. So you are inclined to believe them. You may not like what he has to say about the Steelers’ offensive line, so these stats you’ll probably want to dismiss. That’s usually how it works when...

Former Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell is responding to criticism that his signing is part of the reason the Jets blew up their front office Wednesday. Sort of. The Jets fired general manager Mike Maccagnan and vice president of player personnel Brian Heimerdinger on Wednesday. Head coach Adam Gase will...

Le’Veon Bell is already causing problems for the New York Jets. And he hasn’t even practiced with the team yet! This time, it’s not Bell’s fault, really. You can’t blame “Juice” for a drug violation, a tardy appearance at a walk-through, a rap diss or a social media faux pas....

In a three-minute interview posted on Steelers.com, Steelers rookie running back Benny Snell refers to himself in the third person three times. OK. Just so long as Benny Snell realizes that Benny Snell is still third string. For now. “Benny Snell football could be second (down) and 3 (yards to...

By now, you have probably read some of the alarm-bell columns discussing Major League Baseball’s attendance issues. As USA Today reports, MLB saw an attendance drop in March-April 2019, on the heels of a 4% season-long decline in attendance in 2018. That was the largest dip in a decade. Furthermore,...

In his usual Sunday media scrum with reporters, Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington rattled through the litany of injuries that have beset his club. “We haven’t had an at-bat from our regular left fielder (Corey Dickerson),” Huntington said to begin his mental checklist. “Our regular right fielder (Gregory Polanco)...

This is always a frustrating time of year to write about the Pittsburgh Penguins. Well, at least in non-Stanley Cup winning seasons anyway. The cycle is drudgery, and it is familiar. The Penguins lose a series. The fans, media, locker room, and management call for change. Rumors emerge about potential...

Remember how we started yesterday’s “First Call” with Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert telling the world the team was hoping that struggling cornerback Artie Burns could regain his confidence? Yeah, forget that. Unless the organization thinks that refusing to pick up Burns’ fifth-year option is the best route to restoring...

On locker cleanout day following the Pittsburgh Penguins’ sweep at the hands of New York Islanders, Kris Letang was indignant at suggestions that he may need to change his game. You know, be more structured and patient. Take fewer chances. Play more conservative. The response was not one of agreement....

Imagine being a fan of the Cleveland Browns. Your team leaves. It comes back. And becomes an NFL punchline for decades. Now, on the verge of, potentially, Cleveland’s first division championship in decades, you renounce your fandom to start rooting for … … the hated Pittsburgh Steelers? That’s what DeAndre...

As we posted Saturday evening after the conclusion of the draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers simply had too many roster issues this offseason to have them all properly addressed before training camp starts. This is normally the case for teams that miss the playoffs. And it’s definitely the case after non-playoff...

The Steelers selected a clone of Antonio Brown with their second pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. And they did it with the pick they got in exchange for Brown from Oakland in the trade that shipped him to the Raiders last month. Let’s hope the comparisons stop with physical...

I love the player. I love the trade. I love the pick. In my opinion, the Steelers couldn’t have done a better job when it comes to how they executed the first round of the draft. The franchise traded up into the top 10 of the NFL Draft on Thursday...

So, who is going to mess this up for the Steelers? During last year’s NFL Draft, it was Chicago, Tennessee and Dallas. They were the teams that nabbed the three first-round, pure inside linebackers that would have perfectly meshed within the defensive system in Pittsburgh. And perhaps would have helped...

Let’s hope this is wrong. Unless you run a T-shirt shop in the Strip District. In that case, business might be boom … Never mind. You get the point. For as great of a name as Rock Ya-Sin may be, I think it would sound a lot better if it...

It had to be on purpose, right? Head coach Mike Sullivan and general manager Jim Rutherford standing side-by-side during the Penguins’ season-ending media availability. Sharing the podium. Answering questions in the presence of each other. There must have been intent behind the execution of the 2019 season-ending news conference last...

If the Penguins showed this much pushback against the New York Islanders, maybe they’d still be playing. Locker cleanout day got a little testy at times Thursday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. The 2019 Penguins team was packing up for the last time in the wake of...

For those of you hoping to finally read some Ben Roethlisberger quotes in the wake of all the slings and arrows he has taken from departed ex-teammates, prepare to be excited. For those of you hoping to see Roethlisberger retaliate in the same fashion, prepare to be disappointed. Actually, don’t...

ESPN posted a long “behind the scenes” account of the trade that sent Steelers receiver Antonio Brown to Oakland last month. In terms of new information — especially if you heard the taped conversation between Brown and his agent Drew Rosenhaus — there’s not a ton of new information there....

In case you missed our “Breakfast With Benz” post about the Dane Brugler mock draft in The Athletic, it’s worth a read. The big reason why is that the piece projects the Steelers using a high-round draft choice on an edge-pass rusher/outside linebacker — Michigan’s Chase Winovich. I love that...

On Tuesday, Antonio Brown said he isn’t giving the media any more “ammo.” I assume that means the endless supply of hand grenades he has gifted us over the past year via social media. Not giving you media fakes no more ammo ........ enjoy my name AB !!! I am...