Tim Benz stories, Page 172
Tim Benz: Mike Tomlin’s OT call in Steelers loss was logical but lacked common senseVideo
Mike Tomlin’s decision to kick off to begin overtime against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday made perfect sense. If you are willing to ignore common sense. Which I am not. In case you missed what happened, the Steelers won the coin flip to start overtime, tied with their AFC North...
Tim Benz: Much airing of grievances as Steelers lose to RavensVideo
JuJu Smith-Schuster’s turnover cost the Steelers the game. His overtime fumble allowed the Baltimore Ravens to kick a field goal and win 26-23 Sunday at Heinz Field. That’s an obvious grievance. Mike Tomlin’s call to defer after winning the overtime coin toss worked. By his logic anyway. But that decision...
First Call: Ed Reed’s ‘Steelers week’ speech to Ravens; Mark Melancon meltdown
In “First Call” Friday, the Ravens get a “Steelers Week” pep talk from a franchise legend. Mark Melancon melted down. What other teams are doing to Aaron Donald. Bring out the big guns Some have bemoaned the fact that so many of the players who laid the foundation of the...
Robert Morris hockey balancing youth, experience as season begins
The Penguins aren’t the only hockey team in town getting underway for 2019-20 campaign. The Robert Morris Colonials begin their season Saturday at the Island Sports Center. Three-time national champion Michigan Tech visits Neville Island. The Huskies are just one year removed from winning the 2018 Western Collegiate Hockey Association...
Tim Benz: Sabres’ Conor Sheary proves to Penguins that he ‘can still play’
By the middle of the third period, Pittsburgh Penguins fans were booing like they didn’t want to be at PPG Paints Arena anymore. Meanwhile, Conor Sheary was playing like a guy who wanted to be traded back. He scored twice en route to a 3-1 Buffalo Sabres win Thursday night...
Football Footnotes: Antonio Brown reportedly walks out of court; Ravens address in-fighting
This week’s “Friday Football Footnotes” starts with Antonio Brown’s latest slip from reality. Earl Thomas talks about the Baltimore Ravens clubhouse argument last Sunday. We look at the game of the week from the NFC. And we do some long-term forecasting in the AFC. It keeps getting better I know...
First Call: Ex-Pirate Charlie Morton is postseason star; Marc-Andre Fleury wins Vegas opener
In “First Call” Thursday, another postseason ex-Pirate moment. Marc-Andre Fleury’s 2019 is off to a good start in Vegas. Jon Gruden is mad about Vontaze Burfict’s suspension. Clutch Chuck Former Pirate Charlie Morton already has a World Series Game 7 win to his credit. He did that for the Houston...
New chapter of Steelers-Ravens rivalry has different feel
Thursday’s podcast takes a trip down to Baltimore. We check in with Jeremy Conn of 105.7 The Fan. The Ravens come to Heinz Field Sunday afternoon to play the Steelers. Conn gives us the reasons behind the ups and downs of the Ravens so far in 2019. Few teams looked...
U mad, bro? Fans pounce on Clint Hurdle firing, Steelers offense, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith
Are you mad about the Steelers? You’ve come to the right place. Angered over how the Pirates mangled the firing of Clint Hurdle? I’ve got you covered. Hate the NFL pass interference debate? Come on in. The water is just fine. Wanna nitpick minor flaws on supermodels wearing costumes of...
Tim Benz: In awful AFC, Steelers not dead yetVideo
An interesting dynamic is brewing in the AFC. It’s good news for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The dynamic is that, right now, most of the conference is awful. Not just the crummy AFC North. The whole conference has been lousy so far. It’s so bad, even at 1-3, the struggling Steelers...
First Call: Numbers show how Steelers’ D-line dominated Bengals; another ex-Pirate excelling
In “First Call” Wednesday, a former Pirate gets the save in the National League Wild Card Game. The Steelers were even more dominant against the Cincinnati Bengals than you thought. Le’Veon Bell is struggling in New York. Another one You’ve probably gotten used to seeing frequent updates from former Pirates...
Tim Benz, Joe Rutter say gimmick offense won’t work for Steelers against Ravens
If you saw Mike Tomlin’s press conference Tuesday, you could tell. Even he isn’t sold on the wildcat offense helping the Steelers dig themselves out of the 0-3 mess they created to begin 2019. It worked Monday night to help beat the Cincinnati Bengals. But don’t expect to see a...
Tim Benz: Airing of grievances as Steelers win over Bengals far from perfectVideo
It was nice to finally write about some “Feats of Strength” after the Steelers finally secured their first win of 2019 Monday night over the Bengals, 27-3. But as Mike Tomlin pointed out, it was far from perfect. We “air our grievances,” win or lose, at “Breakfast With Benz.” And...
Tim Benz: Wildcat worked, but let’s hope Steelers don’t have to use it againVideo
During his weekly press conference, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was gruff, dismissive, generally terse and a bit on edge. Even more so than normal, I mean. It was almost as if his team had fallen to 0-4 against the Cincinnati Bengals as opposed to trouncing them, 27-3, the night...
Tim Benz, Kevin Gorman: Running game and pass rush get Steelers their first win
Tuesday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast looks at something pretty rare. A Steelers victory. Yup. It’s the first victory of 2019 for the Black and Gold. And it came against the even-more-hapless Cincinnati Bengals, 27-3, Monday night at Heinz Field. Fellow Trib columnist Kevin Gorman and I recap the highlights. The...
First Call: David Ross as possible Cubs manager; soccer fans storm owner’s box, kick him out of stadium
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” some MLB managerial candidates are emerging. Fans storm an owner’s box. Andy Dalton’s interesting audible. What if? When it comes to a potential managerial hire, here’s a former Pirates player that is becoming a name of interest. One-time Bucco, David Ross, is rumored to be a...
Tim Benz: Clint Hurdle shouldn’t be Pirates’ only scapegoat
The word “scapegoat” has been used quite a bit in the wake of Clint Hurdle’s firing as Pirates manager. I felt like it was inappropriate. So I double-checked the definition. Merriam-Webster defines the term this way: “A goat upon whose head are symbolically placed the sins of the people after...
Tim Benz: Feats of strength from Steelers’ win over Bengals (finally)Video
Finally! I almost forgot this was possible. We’ve had three straight “Airing of Grievances” entries to start the 2019 season. I was getting worried we’d never get to post a “Feats of Strength” Steelers postgame column. Hey, that’s why it’s always nice to see the Cincinnati Bengals pop up on...
First Call: Rutgers may be interested in Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi as new coach
Monday’s “First Call” features a potential new job for Pat Narduzzi. Feuding Ravens. And maybe the MLB play of the year. Narduzzi in New Jersey? Here’s an interesting one. Pitt Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi’s name has come up as a candidate for the Rutgers coaching job. The Scarlet Knights fired...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden break down Clint Hurdle’s firing and Steelers-Bengals ‘MNF’ game
It’s not often a Pittsburgh Steelers “Monday Night Football” game gets dwarfed by other topics in the Pittsburgh sports world. But the team has started 0-3. Sidney Crosby got hurt. Clint Hurdle got fired. And Pat Narduzzi is getting linked to another job. So, apologies. It’s going to take us...
Tim Benz: Botched firing of Clint Hurdle typical of 2019 Pirates
Given the news cycle of the last week, this may be hard to do. But play along with me if you can. Imagine that the Pirates simply fired Clint Hurdle after the season ended Sunday evening. Hurdle manages Game 162. The franchise gives its sendoff to Steve Blass. The Pirates...
Tim Benz: Who is missed more: Antonio Brown or A.J. Green?
The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t good at much this year. The Cincinnati Bengals may be good at even less. But as these two 0-3 teams square off in a pathetic excuse for a primetime matchup Monday night at Heinz Field, Cincy has been better than the Steelers in one very important...
First Call: Antonio Brown gets into Twitter spat with Eric Weddle
Friday’s “First Call” features another Antonio Brown Twitter spat. A major rules change to basketball may be coming. And we’ve found the ugliest sports fan tattoo of all time. Which is to say, we have found the best sports fan tattoo of all time. Cat fight! Former wide receiver Antonio...
Tim Benz: ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith says Steelers should consider Antonio Brown reunion. No, they shouldn’t
When you host a national sports talk show on television, you get to do stuff like this. You get to drop a bomb of this magnitude. Then move on to advocate firing Freddie Kitchens in Week 3, declare that Jimmy Garoppolo is better than Tom Brady and wrap up by...
Tim Benz: Who wins battle of Steelers’ bad run defense vs. Bengals bad run game?
It’s the matchup we’ve all been waiting to see. The easily resistible force vs. the highly movable object. Also known as the anemic Cincinnati Bengals running game vs. the leaky Steelers rush defense. It’ll be the game within the game between two teams with a combined 0-6 record. I know....
