The Steelers won the battle of Pennsylvania Sunday.
Sorry, “BENsylvania.”
The Penguins traded a Stanley Cup-winning goaltender.
Sorry, a two-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender.
And the Pitt football team lost in unbelievable fashion.
Sorry, completely typical Pitt fashion.
So it was quite a week. Mark Madden and I recap all of it in this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast.
On the Steelers front, Madden and I rationalize the Steelers’ 4-0 start with the fact that the defense may not be as steady as it was last year. And the fact that the team hasn’t beaten any good opponents at all.
All four of the Steelers’ vanquished opponents are a combined 3-15-1.
“Put it this way, 4-0 is 4-0. And you can only criticize it so much,” Madden said. “But it’s the least impressive 4-0 in history.”
Neither Mark nor I am surprised Matt Murray was traded by the Pens. We’re more surprised at some of the other moves across the league. Such as what Washington did signing former Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz (two years, $8 million) and Henrik Lundqvist replacing Braden Holtby in goal.
“If you are going to go with a veteran, why don’t you just keep Holtby?” Madden asked. “It goes to people overestimating Lundqvist’s body of work and where he is at age 35.”
And then there is Pitt. Oh, dear Pitt.
No one is better at sapping its own momentum and inventing ways to lose than the Panthers. The 31-30 defeat in Chestnut Hill to Boston College — on a missed extra point in overtime — summed that up.
And Madden says that result was typical of a Pat Narduzzi coached team.
“A team often takes on the personality of its coach,” Madden said. “And Pitt is like its coach. They are a bunch of B.S. artists.”
Mark and I discuss all those topics. Penguins line combinations for 2021. The state of the Steelers defense. The developing AFC race. Eddie Van Halen. And more.
