U mad, bro? Readers blast Big Ben, Bud, Benz. Jeff Capel and the NFL, too.

It may be March. But it’s a football-heavy “U mad, bro?” this week.

Readers throw elbows at Ben Roethlisberger and his… well… throwing elbow.

I take one in the chops, too, for questioning how well Roethlisberger’s recovery will go. Bud Dupree, Jeff Capel and the entire NFL machine get roasted as well.

In our Facebook comments section, “Mrb Scotty” replied to my column questioning how Kevin Colbert is insisting we could see a version of Ben Roethlisberger that “is better coming out of the (elbow) surgery.”

It appears Mrb Scotty shares my skepticism.

“Four Games and done. Maybe six. He will not practice or play in any OTA’s, no camp at Latrobe and they will throw him in for maybe one preseason series and call him ready. He will be completely out of physical shape and not ready for the speed of the game. No running game to take the load, either. Not a good recipe for an old repaired guy. I hate to say it, but we are in trouble.”

OK, let me rephrase. Mrb Scotty doesn’t “share” my skepticism. He multiplies it by about a thousand!

Scotty, I’m with you to a point. In that post, I also questioned Roethlisberger’s ability to be physically ready, the health of his arm and the quality of his supporting cast.

Like you, I think a lot of the sunshine and rainbows that are being painted about Roethlisberger’s recovery exist just to quell the fan base’s concern and pump up the locker room.

But I’m not ready to put him out to pasture yet either.

Meanwhile, you seem to have taken Roethlisberger beyond the pasture and right to the glue factory.

Even if Colbert’s oversell is as comical as you suggest, a lesser Roethlisberger is still better than the quarterbacking options we saw last year.

Rene also replied on Facebook to that column about Roethlisberger. She is going in the other direction. She is defending Big Ben.

And coming after me.

“Really? Are you basing (doubt about Roethlisberger’s recovery) on the five quarters he played prior to his injury? In case you forgot, he led the league in passing the year before.”

I didn’t forget that, Rene. But maybe you forgot he led the league in interceptions that year as well.

And maybe you didn’t read the part of the column where I referenced his previous 19 starts that resulted in a 9-9-1 record and 18 interceptions.

He also had Antonio Brown and better versions of JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner and his offensive line back in 2018 as well.

Look, I’m excited about Roethlisberger’s return as much as you are. It’s got to be better than what we saw under center a year ago.

But let’s remember what procedure took place. They fixed his elbow. They didn’t transport him — and the rest of the offense — back in time to 2014.

Robert is not a fan of the Steelers prioritizing Bud Dupree as a target to retain in free agency.

“Let Bud go! Huge mistake to resign him. Has done nothing prior to this year and now he turns it on! Don’t need him. He can be replaced!”

Dupree can be replaced? Really? Who is going to do that exactly? Anthony Chickillo or Ola Adeniyi?

I’d sooner believe the “Ben went back in time” theory than that.

What free agent pass rusher is going to be just as good, and be less expensive than Dupree — on either the franchise tag or a long-term deal?

Yannick Ngakoue or Matthew Judon? I bet you those guys get even more money than Dupree does.

A high draft choice? Sure. They can use the No. 49 pick on a pass rusher. There may be some good ones still available on the board by then. LaMarr Woodley had four good years with the Steelers at outside linebacker after being picked 46th.

But if you use that pick on Dupree’s replacement, then you won’t be able to address any offensive needs until — at best — the 97th pick in the draft, depending on when the Steelers get their compensatory pick for Le’Veon Bell.

Sorry, Robert. The Steelers do need Dupree. He and T.J. Watt were excellent together last year. And if they ditch Dupree, then they need to find a reasonable facsimile of him.

Much easier said than done given the team’s cap situation, and their lack of draft picks.

They should franchise tag Bud. It’s the most expeditious route to take.

Bernie checks in about the Pitt basketball team. He doesn’t appear to have the same level of optimism surrounding Jeff Capel’s program that some other ACC coaches do.

“Capel is the problem that Pitt is not winning.

1. (Xavier) Johnson and (Trey) McGowens are playing “playground” basketball. When they have the ball, they want to drive the lane and continually turn it over.

2. Terrell Brown, with his 6’-10” frame, has talent that is not used. Capel should get into his face and let him know it.

3. The best shooter and point guard is only playing 14 minutes a game (Ryan Murphy.)

4. Johnson and McGowens should not be in the starting lineup.

If your head coach can’t see the problem, your team is in real trouble.”

A couple things, Bernie.

First of all, Murphy is just 3-of-14 from three-point land since returning from his concussion. So whatever minutes he is getting, he’s not shooting great. And I think the injury and his lack of production may be linked. Maybe he isn’t fully healthy. Maybe the three games off just ruined his rhythm.

If you think Johnson and McGowens play too much, I don’t know who else should be playing more.

And it sounds to me like you seem more upset with players not living up to potential than anything else. Is that the fault of the coach, or the players for underachieving with their God-given talents?

Plus, who is to say that Capel “can’t see” these things as problems. My bet is he does. In fact, he indirectly said as much. Look at the quotes from him in that column.

But, hey, you know me. Just another pro-Pitt take from notorious Panther homer Tim Benz.

I can’t help myself from defending anything from Oakland.

Jim responded to my column which bemoaned how the new NFL collective bargaining agreement talks seemed to be ignoring what’s good for the fans.

“Every aspect of pro football is driven by greed nowadays. The international games and Thursday night games are a farce. Strictly TV. Last year my son took me to a Steeler game and all I could think was that, ‘He paid those ridiculous (ticket) prices for this ??’ And we didn’t even eat or drink anything.”

Yup. That was pretty much the point of the piece. No matter who “wins at the table” between the owners and players, the “losing” side will have their share of the pie supplemented as costs get passed along to the fans via ticket sales, concessions, parking and viewership fees.

And none of the things being debated right now seem to be regarding outcomes the fans want.

By the way, which game did you attend, Jim? Was it the Bills game?

If so, I don’t know how you made it through that game without drinking. I would’ve been hammered by the start of the third quarter.