Mark Madden stories, Page 19
Mark Madden: Mike Tomlin would be exposed in New York City
Perhaps the weakest argument against Mike Tomlin’s removal as Pittsburgh Steelers coach is the often preached, “He’d have another job within five minutes!” This is best said at a frenetic pace and via rapidly rising octaves. The squeakier, the better. It’s probably true. So what? Tomlin’s employability beyond Pittsburgh doesn’t...
Mark Madden: The Mike Tomlin error is in full swing, but who will recognize it?
The Mike Tomlin era is long since over. We’re in the middle of the Mike Tomlin error. Tomlin’s reputation is propped up by his overrated streak of no losing seasons. Friendly media, mostly national, use that to obscure Tomlin having no playoff wins in six years and just three in...
Mark Madden: Steelers QB Kenny Pickett isn’t giving the Steelers a chance to succeed
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ problems are many, and they are great. Most of you blame offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Mike Tomlin’s reputation has one ally remaining, namely widespread willful ignorance. Tomlin is a fraud. How many more flat starts do you need to witness? How many more years without a playoff...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Jockocracy has taken over sports media
NBA star Damian Lillard wanted to be traded from Portland to Miami. He instead got dealt to Milwaukee. Lillard handled it fine. But the outrage on his behalf was palpable. To quote ex-NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, “That’s dirty work by Portland.” How, exactly, is that “dirty work?” Lillard is...
Mark Madden: Where’s the hype for Connor Bedard vs. Sidney Crosby?
The Chicago Blackhawks visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 10, NHL’s opening night. Rookie mega-phenom Connor Bedard vs. Sidney Crosby, the face of the league for almost two decades. It’s a game primed for monster hype, as much as could be mustered without somebody dating Taylor Swift. It’s nationally televised...
Mark Madden: Power play will dictate Penguins’ success, so where do the pieces fit?
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ power play will be discussed ad nauseam all season. It will either produce up to its talent level and be in the NHL’s top five, or it will underachieve and cause the team to do the same. These Penguins will be that dependent on the power play....
Mark Madden: Victory over Raiders proved no game will be easy for the Steelers
In today’s culture, we skip right to the ending before the story plays out. To that end, let’s draw a few hasty conclusions in the wake of the Steelers’ narrow 23-18 victory at Las Vegas: • No game will be easy for the Steelers. That goes for Sunday’s trip to...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers have chance to fix Kenny Pickett against Raiders’ defense
Kenny Pickett’s arm is all over the place. He too often looks rattled. The swag and moxie of the preseason are gone. Pickett must be fixed. There’s no time like the present. The Las Vegas Raiders are allowing an 81.6% completion rate to opposing passers after two games. Seventy-one throws,...
Mark Madden: Like Paul Coffey before him, Erik Karlsson is perfect fit for Penguins’ high-octane style
Erik Karlsson isn’t 100% unique. Not quite a unicorn. Pittsburgh hockey fans have seen one like him before. It’s just been a while. (Hint: He wore No. 77.) Since joining the Penguins via trade with San Jose, Karlsson has been conversationally lumped in with Kris Letang. Both are called offensive...
Mark Madden: Steelers’ lack of accountability abounds
The Pittsburgh Steelers have no accountability. We saw that Monday night in a big way. Gunner Olszewski committed one of the dumbest plays ever. He fielded a kickoff at the 9-yard line near the sideline midway through the first quarter, inexplicably toe-tapping to momentarily stay in bounds. Like he was...
Mark Madden: Blaming Matt Canada is easier, but Kenny Pickett’s failings far more disappointing for Steelers
Offensive coordinator Matt Canada is Pittsburgh’s Great Satan as per “Fire Canada” chants at Acrisure Stadium Monday after a botched third-and-1 play. Quarterback Kenny Pickett ran right out of the shotgun and went down lamely, losing 3 yards. Maybe that was the play call: “Shotgun, run right, go down lamely....
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: If the Steelers start 0-2, expect a familiar timeline
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to beat Cleveland on Monday night. Otherwise, the season figures to take on a familiar timeline: • Preseason: “This team could go to the Super Bowl!” • After a couple losses: “We can still win the division.” • After a couple more losses: “We can still...
Mark Madden: Steelers match up poorly with Browns, intimidate no one
It doesn’t look good for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night at Acrisure Stadium against Cleveland. The Browns have Nick Chubb, the NFL’s best running back. The Steelers don’t have Cameron Heyward, their best defensive lineman. The Browns have perhaps the best trio of cornerbacks in football (led by Denzel...
Mark Madden: Matt Canada deserves blame for Steelers’ struggles, but it doesn’t stop there
Fire Matt Canada. That’s the most widely held solution to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ problems. It’s not an unreasonable opinion. Canada never should have been promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. But Canada was already in the building and works cheap. (Like all Steelers assistants, at least in comparison to...
Mark Madden: Kenny Pickett was brutal, but many Steelers shared in struggles against 49ers
Cam Heyward has tried to shoehorn “Big Ken” as a nickname for Kenny Pickett. Like Big Ben. Not yet. More like Bubby Pickett. Pickett is a first-round pick, a quarterback of some promise. But after Sunday’s home disaster vs. San Francisco, let’s shelve the superlatives for “Big Ken” till he...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Eagles over Bengals for Super Bowl LVIII and other NFL predictions
In my prior missive, I predicted the Pittsburgh Steelers to go 9-8 and miss the playoffs. Now, by way of formulaic preseason drivel, here are the rest of my NFL prognostications: AFC East winner: Buffalo. AFC West winner: Kansas City. AFC North winner: Cincinnati. AFC South winner: Jacksonville. AFC wild...
Mark Madden: Time for Steelers’ Mike Tomlin to put his words into practice, be held accountable
This is a pretty good Pittsburgh Steelers team. Improved from last year. It has a first-round draft pick at quarterback who looks ready to break through. It has a myriad of offensive weapons: no proven superstar, but a receiver capable of big plays and a first-round running back who also...
Mark Madden: Here’s what Penguins should do with new broadcast team
As the Pittsburgh Penguins piece together their new broadcast teams, they’re likely debating whether to cling to nostalgia or move forward. A trend toward the latter has already started with the dismissal of Bob Errey from TV color commentary. For years, the Penguins’ three main analysts have been from their...
Mark Madden: Early-season mismatches part of college football’s flawed system
College football is stupid. We got reminded of that this past weekend when powerhouses played pushovers to produce scores like 81-7, 73-0, 73-7, 66-14 and 56-3. Even Pitt got to pummel some sacrificial lamb. (Anybody know where Wofford is located? Without using Google.) These mismatches are the progeny of college...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: NHL would be smart to adopt CHL’s rule changes
The Champions Hockey League is a season-long tournament involving elite teams in Europe. The CHL is instituting some interesting rule changes: • Minor penalties serve the full two minutes, even if a power-play goal is scored. • If a goal is scored during a delayed penalty, the penalty still is...
Mark Madden: Omar Khan’s work with Steelers has been impeccable, but don’t get carried away
The notion that the Kendrick Green trade was some revolutionary display of general managing by the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Omar Khan is a bit silly, just like so much about the team’s hype-clogged preseason. Khan traded a marginal asset for another marginal asset: Green to Houston for a sixth-round pick. The...
Mark Madden: Loud, watered down TV sports debate shows are expiring
When I worked for ESPN Radio, I did a TV hit for the Worldwide Leader before the Steelers-New England AFC championship game in 2002 (2001 season). A Boston-area radio host preceded me and gave several noisy reasons why the Patriots would win. I responded by saying, basically, “Yeah, he’s probably...
Mark Madden: The hype around Kenny Pickett is loud, some deserved, but Steelers still have question marks
Hype is fun, even when it’s ridiculous. Especially when it’s ridiculous. On Saturday, a local radio host said Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett has many of the same attributes as Michael Jordan and Sidney Crosby. Does he really believe that? Hope not. But it’s amusing regardless. The Steelers have had...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers preferred culture has returned
As the Pittsburgh Steelers go into the regular season with hype falling just shy of ESPN’s Mike Greenberg’s unbridled, frothing lust over the Aaron Rodgers era in New York, a happy coincidence has occurred: The Steelers are free of jerks. The preferred culture is back. Perhaps it’s not coincidence. Le’Veon...
Mark Madden: Injuries to Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, Pirates’ Oneil Cruz raise major concerns
A tale of two injuries: Shohei Ohtani’s bum elbow is devastating to so many on so many levels, not least Ohtani himself. Oneil Cruz’s stalled-out rehabilitation for his broken left ankle might diminish the ability of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ projected best player, or even worse. Ohtani’s torn UCL could necessitate...
