Tim Benz Columns category, Page 100
Tim Benz: Steelers’ offseason turning Pittsburgh into ‘Spin City’
The Steelers’ spin cycle is moving so fast this offseason that I get dizzy every time I turn on my computer. No matter the situation, someone is there to spit-shine the prospects for the 2021 campaign, whether it’s the fans, media or team itself. A few examples popped up recently....
‘Dad’s play’: Beyond Big Ben and Santonio Holmes, meet the man who helped make this play part of Steelers Super Bowl lore
I can always tell when the NFL Network is replaying the Steelers’ Super Bowl XLIII victory over the Arizona Cardinals. My text messages start to ding. I get a random bump in Twitter interactions. “Is that you right behind Santonio Holmes in the end zone during the game-winning catch?!” Yup....
First Call: Penn State prospects have Steelers’ attention; Rangers throttle Flyers again
Friday’s “First Call” shows us NFL Draft prospects from Penn State who have the interest of Steelers brass. Nittany Lions star Micah Parsons impresses at his pro day but has one question hanging over his head. And the Philadelphia Flyers continue to give up goals at a comical rate. I’m...
U mad, bro?: Salty Steelers fans. Mad Mike Tomlin critics. Jacked-up JuJu defenders. Chase Claypool’s angry fan club.
This week’s “U mad, bro?” features some salty Steelers fans. Chase Claypool’s fan club is ready to “fight back.” Mad Mike Tomlin critics. And jacked up JuJu Smith-Schuster defenders. In other words, March is going out like a lion. Speaking of the Lions, who thinks they may have a better...
Tim Benz: Holes on Steelers roster only outnumbered by questions about how to patch them
The latest Steelers free-agent departure is reserve outside linebacker Ola Adeniyi. Like fellow pass rusher Bud Dupree, he went to the Tennessee Titans. Of all the offseason defections thus far, Adeniyi’s pinch will probably be felt the least. He only participated in 14% of the defensive snaps. His 63% of...
Tim Benz: Hope the Steelers enjoyed cornerback depth while it lasted
Remember when the Steelers had cornerback depth? I know, it was a long time ago. Like, December. How ‘bout before then? Go ahead and test your memories. I’ll wait. The Steelers entered 2020 with a starting cornerback tandem that was caked with accolades. Last season wasn’t as good as 2019....
First Call: 17th NFL game progressing. Who will Steelers play?; JuJu Smith-Schuster waits as other receivers sign
Friday’s “First Call” looks at JuJu Smith-Schuster twisting in the free-agent breeze. More details about a likely Week 17 game. And a former Steelers fan (not-so) favorite gets a nice, new contract. Also, we glance at a wild NHL game out west and the odds of some hardware for Marc-Andre...
Brian Burke on Evgeni Malkin’s ‘surge,’ Brandon Tanev’s penalty and tremendous tales of St. Patrick’s Day
New Penguins president of hockey operations Brian Burke was working on St. Patrick’s Day, something the Irishman hates to do. “My whole career I refused to work on St. Patrick’s Day,” Burke told Josh Getzoff of 105.9 The X on Wednesday. “I usually go to Mass in the morning. Then...
Tim Benz: Want ‘March Madness’? Forget basketball. Track Steelers fans during free agency.
From now on, when I hear the phrase “March Madness,” I will no longer think about college basketball. I’ll think about tracking Steelers news on Twitter during the NFL free-agency “legal tampering” period. Because after what I saw this week, many Steelers fans have actually gone mad. Or somebody “legally...
Tim Benz: Andy Toole looks at this year’s brackets, reflects on RMU’s unfulfilled 2020 NCAA Tournament bid
It was a year ago, but you can tell the wounds are still open for Robert Morris head basketball coach Andy Toole. Like anyone in the college hoops game, Toole is thrilled that the NCAA college basketball tournament is actually getting played this year. But that doesn’t bring back the...
Tim Benz: List of ‘Steelers fallacies’ growing, getting more difficult to believe
This is a very delicate time of year on the calendar for Steelers fans. We’re in that period where we are barely getting over the shock of the annual January indignity endured by the team. We are just far enough away from whatever hurt we suffered, seeing the franchise eliminated...
Tim Benz: Pirates not alone when it comes to creating lack of competition
Pirates fans, at least you aren’t alone when it comes to your team’s place within the ecosystem of baseball economics. Along with how your team is operating within that world. Meet the Colorado Rockies. They decided to pay the St. Louis Cardinals to accept All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado in...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ same old song about fixing the run game is going over like a ‘Led Zeppelin’
I wonder if Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger likes Led Zeppelin. What about offensive coordinator Matt Canada? If they do, then they may know that Led Zeppelin’s epic hit “Stairway to Heaven” turned 50 years old last week. Note, I said “Stairway to Heaven.” Not “Stairway to Seven.” No, that mothballed...
Tim Benz: Thumbs down to a new NFL overtime idea (and not just because the Ravens thought of it)
Steelers fans are predisposed to dislike anything the Baltimore Ravens want to do. In the case of Baltimore’s new overtime proposal, though, our inherent anti-Ravens bias doesn’t even have to come into play. It’s a useless plan, and the NFL shouldn’t bother looking at it. Yet the idea is gaining...
Tim Benz: Ben Roethlisberger’s new contract may not be the big picture fix some are anticipating
Let’s get the working of mechanics ironed out as we talk about Ben Roethlisberger’s new Pittsburgh Steelers contract. Then we’ll get to what all of this means. Because the words we use — and how we chose them — to describe Big Ben’s big decision are important to properly frame...
30th anniversary of Penguins-Whalers trade: Families happy to remember Zarley Zalapski, Jeff Parker
During the first two chapters of our 30th anniversary retrospective of “The Trade” involving the Pittsburgh Penguins and Hartford Whalers, we’ve tried to talk to as many of the players involved as possible. Unfortunately, some can no longer speak for themselves because they passed away at far too early of...
30th anniversary of Penguins-Whalers trade: Why would Hartford ever give away Ron Francis?
As a Pittsburgh sports fan growing up in Connecticut, I wasn’t sure how to feel about the Penguins trade with the Hartford Whalers in March of 1991. I knew the players that the Penguins were getting were good and filled a need in Pittsburgh. But, man, John Cullen was fifth...
30 years after Penguins-Whalers trade: John Cullen, Grant Jennings on trading places, awkward meetings, rental evictions
Thursday night, at 9:15 p.m., Penguins fans will probably be gritting their teeth through the latter stages of yet another excruciatingly close Eastern Division game against the Flyers. They should take a moment. Pause the game on the DVR, and look out toward Hartford, Connecticut. Then, with a raised glass,...
Tim Benz: What does all the Ben Roethlisberger talk mean for Mason Rudolph?
We’re talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers. We’re talking about future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. We’re talking about a $41 million cap hit. So it’s no wonder the dialogue about Roethlisberger’s future in Pittsburgh has soaked up so much attention. There’s not much more to boil down beyond that...
‘Chace’ing a comeback: From near amputation to NCAA hockey. The remarkable return of RMU’s Chace Sperling.
She doesn’t remember much about the 11-day stint at the hospital. It’s all a blur between the four surgeries, 38 stitches, pain medication, monotony and limited visits thanks to the pandemic. Robert Morris University hockey player Chace Sperling does remember one thing, though. That 20 minutes of agony flat on...
Tim Benz: Will America ever allow itself to have another ‘Miracle’?
On Feb. 22, 2022, I’m going to start a new sports tradition at my house. On 2/22/22, I’m going to play the movie “Miracle” on a loop. Kinda like “A Christmas Story” on Christmas Day. Corny as it may sound, I try to watch that movie on the anniversary of...
Tim Benz: Steelers projected to trade up for QB Mac Jones. The prediction is meaningless. The conversation isn’t.
This week’s CBSSports.com mock draft has the Steelers making a big trade up the board to nab Alabama quarterback Mac Jones. Why not, right? He piloted the Alabama Crimson Tide to the 2020 College Football Playoff championship. And if Ben Roethlisberger is cut, the Steelers will be looking for their...
Tim Benz: Looking for a perfect end to Ben Roethlisberger’s Steelers career? Too late.
If we want to be honest, Ben Roethlisberger’s Steelers career effectively ended as the opening snap of this year’s wild-card game sailed over his head. All the discussion since then has essentially been nothing more than figuring out how both sides can best accept that reality. Frankly, it’s already become...
Tim Benz: If Ben Roethlisberger splits from the Steelers, where might he play if he doesn’t retire?
If the Pittsburgh Steelers eventually decide to release Ben Roethlisberger, the question remains if he would want to continue his career in a new city or retire. Should such a scenario develop, the most likely destination appeared to be the Indianapolis Colts. But then the Colts decided to make a...
What numbers say about how much help Penguins’ goalies are (or aren’t) getting
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert is a big hockey fan. A regular at Penguins games. He’s into Robert Morris’ program at the college level, too. Colbert said something Wednesday about his own team that I think translates quite nicely into a discussion about the Penguins. He answered a question about...
