Tim Benz stories, Page 21

During the course of quarterback Mason Rudolph’s unlikely three-game win streak to help push the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers into the playoffs, coach Mike Tomlin often seemed guarded in his praise of the former third-stringer. It was almost as if Tomlin didn’t want to feed the hype surrounding his resurgence. Or,...

There are quite a few NFL items in Thursday’s “First Call.” Many of them have Pittsburgh ties. Greenfield’s Mike McCarthy is getting another crack with the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are also keeping a former Steelers wide receiver. Penn Hills and Pitt legend Aaron Donald has to make a decision...

A Steelers season has ended in playoff failure for the fifth time since 2016. So fans are mad at the coach, the players and, most importantly, the media that covers them. As a member of that media contingent, I take no responsibility for the Steelers’ shortcomings in the playoffs. I...

In Wednesday’s “First Call,” Ben Roethlisberger endorses the idea of giving Mason Rudolph a chance to start at quarterback next year in Pittsburgh. An ESPN analyst has other ideas for the Steelers to pursue. The Browns are making major changes. And Robert Morris looks to avoid a first on the...

If you are looking for positives from the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers, the rookie class is one of them. First-round pick Broderick Jones and second-round picks Joey Porter Jr. and Keeanu Benton all became starters and/or regular contributors throughout the season. Third-rounder Darnell Washington played in all 17 games, logging more...

Tuesday’s “First Call” has some interesting comments from Najee Harris in the wake of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss in Buffalo. CBS officiating expert Gene Steratore weighs in on some controversial calls during the game. Bills fans are already gearing up for a potential Taylor Swift visit next week. And the...

By now, you’ve probably seen Mike Tomlin walking off the podium mid-question to end his press conference following the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 31-17 playoff loss in Buffalo on Monday. Tomlin was about to be asked about his contract status as he heads into his final year of his deal when he...

During his call of the Steelers’ playoff loss Monday, CBS play-by-play man Jim Nantz said he had been locked in his snowbound hotel for so long, it was starting to feel like “The Shining.” Well, however frightening Nantz’s stay was in Buffalo’s version of the Overlook Hotel, it couldn’t have...

Monday’s “First Call” is laying out the playoff schedule for the Pittsburgh Steelers if they survive Monday’s rescheduled wild-card game in Buffalo. A former Bills player is mad at Steelers fans for criticizing the decision to delay the game. Some NFL defensive standouts with local ties had a weekend they’d...

The campuses of Pitt and Duquesne are separated by about two miles. For the schools’ basketball teams, the starts of their respective conference schedules haven’t been separated by very much either. The Panthers (10-6) are 1-4 in ACC play. The Dukes (9-6) are 0-3 to begin their Atlantic 10 slate....

When the Pittsburgh Penguins moved Monday’s start time against the Seattle Kraken to 1 p.m. — so as not to conflict with the Steelers’ adjusted kickoff time in Buffalo (4:30 p.m.) — Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X had a very succinct response. “I would have kept the...

It’s fitting that at roughly the halfway point of the season, the 2023-24 Pittsburgh Penguins put forth the kind of performance that they did in Game 40 of 82. • Just enough bad in the first period to beat themselves. • Almost enough good over the last two periods to...

There are plenty of intriguing man-vs-man matchups in Sunday’s Steelers-Bills playoff game. But the most difficult showdown might be Man vs. Mother Nature. Here’s a six-pack of X-and-O battles for this week’s “Football Footnotes.” Man vs. weather The biggest storyline coming out of this game may be which team handles...

When it comes to discussing the revival story of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, the words matter. Or at least they should. For instance, I keep hearing people say that Rudolph is performing so well because “he’s playing like he’s got nothing to lose.” Is that really true? I don’t...

In Friday’s “First Call,” the Pittsburgh Steelers are off the hook for an international game. At least for now. The Jake Guentzel trade conversation is about to get thick. The Penguins have an important game on the horizon. And both Duquesne basketball and Robert Morris hockey are about to battle...

For Thursday’s “First Call,” we get word on exactly how bad the weather is going to be in Buffalo on Sunday for the Pittsburgh Steelers game. We find out the CBS broadcast crew for the contest. We also get word on a former Steelers executive who may be in line...

For those fans and Pittsburgh Steelers media members who think that the whole Mason Rudolph-Kenny Pickett depth chart controversy was never a big deal, you’re probably right. So why did head coach Mike Tomlin help it become one? For those who would prefer this uncomfortable talking point never to become...

With the Pittsburgh Steelers qualifying for the playoffs last week after such a roller coaster season, I was concerned everybody was going to be in such a good mood that I may not have enough content for “U mad, bro?” Pfft! No, I wasn’t. C’mon. You didn’t buy that did...

Last weekend’s series against Stonehill was a measuring stick of sorts for the Robert Morris hockey team. The Skyhawks came in at 0-18-0 in their first year as a D-1 program. Meanwhile, the Colonials are in the first season of a program reboot after a two-year shutdown. It went well...

Wednesday’s “First Call” gives us a Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famer rushing to the defense of Mike Tomlin. J.J. Watt thinks he has an idea for the Steelers to offset the loss of his brother at outside linebacker. We tell you how Broderick Jones graded out among rookie tackles. And...

During his weekly press conference Tuesday, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin needled the media for making too much of Goodwin Igwebuike’s heads-up play in Baltimore to touch a kickoff while reaching into the field of play from out of bounds. “You guys act like he did a stupid human trick,”...

In Tuesday’s “First Call,” Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Montravius Adams describes his on-field collision in Baltimore that resulted in T.J. Watt’s injury. Meanwhile, a standout player for the Buffalo Bills may be coming back before their playoff game against the Steelers. Hines Ward is in the conversation for another coaching...

During his time as a Pittsburgh Steeler, linebacker Joey Porter played in 10 postseason games, winning one Super Bowl. Now his son, rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr., is about to play his first career postseason game in Black and Gold on Sunday afternoon in Buffalo against the Bills. “This is...

Despite a strong finishing kick to the 2023-24 regular season, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X isn’t expecting the Pittsburgh Steelers to push their stay in the playoffs beyond the first weekend. During this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Madden says to look for the Steelers to be one-and-done...

In the end, the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers took a completely unpredictable path to a totally predictable result for their regular season. They finished 10-7, in third place of their own division and in an AFC wild-card spot behind two other teams from the AFC North. How predictable was that? Well,...