Tim Benz Columns category, Page 116
Tim Benz: Like it or not, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford sticking to his plan
Let’s not put Jim Rutherford on an aircraft carrier with the “Mission Accomplished” sign behind his head just yet. But it appears the Penguins general manager has taken many of the steps he wanted to take this offseason. During his season-ending press conference in April, Rutherford said he wanted to...
Tim Benz: History of Pirates trading closers has been spotty
If the Pirates are genuinely considering a trade of Felipe Vazquez, one thing is clear. The team better get its next closer in exchange for him. Otherwise, recent history shows us that the return for good closers the Pirates have previously had has been poor. To the credit of Neal...
Tim Benz: Steelers explain plan to deploy WRs without Antonio Brown
The comment from Ben Roethlisberger resonated. Clearly, JuJu Smith-Schuster was banged up during the season finale. That’s part of the reason why the Steelers’ passing offense was so lackluster en route to an ugly 16-13 victory over a last-place Bengals team. An even bigger reason, though, was the absence of...
First Call: Trace McSorley’s new gig; Max Scherzer’s shiner; NHL rule changes
For Thursday’s “First Call,” Trace McSorley expands his horizons. Can the NHL do what the NFL can’t? A youth umpire brings about parental chaos. Max Scherzer’s black eye is a golden moment. What’s next? Penn State product Trace McSorley may be returning punts for the Ravens. McSorley has always wanted...
U mad, bro?: Readers pop off about Penguins trades, Pirates’ Ray Searage, NFL replay
In this week’s “U mad, bro?” readers pop off about Pirates pitching, defend Jim Rutherford, and attack instant replay. Greg wasn’t a fan of my thoughts on Jim Rutherford’s mixed messages about any more potential trades. A GM isnt being honest with the media and fans..this is a stunning event....in...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ Devin Bush insists he’s big enough for NFL
We can all be critical. And we often are. But it’s not like Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert is blind. Nor are head coach Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Keith Butler. Certainly, Dick LeBeau wasn’t either. They saw this coming. The Steelers realized where offense was going in the NFL,...
Tim Benz: Even Olli Maatta defenders should endorse this Penguins trade
My first reactions to Saturday’s trade of Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta to Chicago for forward Dominik Kahun were: • What am I missing? • Are the Penguins absorbing a lot of the salary? • Is this part one of a two-part deal? So far, the answers to those questions appear...
Tim Benz: Is Penguins GM Jim Rutherford kidding us? Or himself?
When it comes to Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, one question needs to be asked. Who is he kidding? Us? Or himself? Right now, I’d say it’s the former. By the time the 2019-20 season starts, it may end up being the latter. Over the past three weeks, the...
Tim Benz: Can ‘Sweet Feet’ Shaun Sarrett fill Mike Munchak’s shoes with Steelers?
Everybody is in on the joke now. Not just the offensive linemen. “There you go, ‘Sweet Feet,’ ” Ben Roethlisberger hollered as he walked past a throng of media waiting for new offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett. “Uh, I mean, coach Shaun.” It’s been the running joke of Steelers spring...
Tim Benz: This decade of Steelers football isn’t what numbers suggest
This was an interesting find by TribLive’s Chris Adamski. He came across this table compiled by German stats guy René Bugner. No commentary from Bugner. Just the numbers. It’s a list of the best decades ever compiled by NFL teams. His numbers outline the best combined regular-season and playoff win-loss...
Tim Benz: NFL playoff expansion actually makes some sense
In a perfect world, the National Football League would trim its preseason by at least two games, keep its regular season at 16 games and leave the playoff bracket alone. But it’s far from a perfect world, even in the NFL. The collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2020 season....
Tim Benz: Attacks on Pirates’ Steve Blass are shameful, unwarranted
I’m not going to defend Steve Blass. Mainly because the Pirates broadcaster’s six-decade-long reputation in baseball should stand on its own. It’s a reputation of being an ambassador of the game, rooted in his ability to be well-liked and respected by those of many different races and nationalities. For 36...
Tim Benz: NFL preseason long overdue for change. Some Steelers agree.
I’ve long been an advocate of ditching the NFL’s preseason. Or at least cutting it back to two games. The risk associated with core roster players participating is massive, even if their reps are limited. By extension, their snaps are usually so few that the reward of playing a couple...
Tim Benz: Bryan Reynolds’ tools are fixing 2 Pirates trades at once
The defense of the Chris Archer trade always has been, and always will be, its intent. It was a rare moment the Pirates went for it. A rare instance when they sacrificed prospects to get an established veteran, with a willingness to absorb salary in the process. Criticism of that...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ Ola Adeniyi adding to pass-rush repertoire
The size. The number. The sacks. The bio. The similarities were too obvious to ignore. Steelers rookie Ola Adeniyi spent last preseason flashing as a 6-foot-1, 248-pound undrafted MAC outside linebacker, wearing No. 92. Adeniyi frequently popped during training camp and had three sacks and two forced fumbles in four...
Ex-Steeler Steve McLendon, now a Jets teammate, implores Le’Veon Bell to show up
In Pittsburgh, we’re used to stories about Le’Veon Bell being absent from practices. In New York, that’s not going over big with one of his new teammates. And it’s a guy who used to be one of his former teammates. Former Steeler and current Jets defensive lineman Steve McLendon said...
U mad, bro? Readers pop off about showboating, Phil Kessel trade, Antonio Brown’s grass
“U mad, bro?” this week features Pirates fans in a snit over Derek Dietrich of the Reds, the Pirates’ failure to support Josh Bell and our coverage of Antonio Brown. Well, our coverage of Brown’s lawn care, anyway. On Twitter, “Corby Corb 12” chimes in with an opinion on Derek...
Tim Benz: Pirates’ Kevin Newman making big strides in Year 2
Across the parking lot from PNC Park, after a preseason game in August, you’ll probably hear Steelers coach Mike Tomlin say something about James Washington, Jaylen Samuels or Chuks Okorafor “being on the rise from Year 1 to Year 2” of their NFL careers. Tomlin is big on that one....
Tim Benz: Mike Munchak’s offseason departure among hardest for Steelers
Much of the discussion at Steelers organized team activities this week has been about the guys who are gone. Namely Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell. But a third Steeler of importance has departed and probably hasn’t been talked about enough. That’s offensive line coach Mike Munchak. He left Mike Tomlin’s...
Tim Benz: If Pirates, Reds weren’t so lame, they could have a decent rivalry
Given all the attention on how the Pirates may retaliate against Derek Dietrich preening after his three home runs Tuesday, tempers were a little hot Wednesday afternoon in Cincinnati. The Pirates beat the Reds, 7-2. But it wasn’t without incident. Pirates pitcher Clay Holmes, not exactly renowned for his control...
Tim Benz: Broadcasters shred Derek Dietrich as he shreds Pirates
It appears the “grandpa shaming” of Derek Dietrich has backfired. As we documented following Cincinnati’s Tuesday night victory over the Pirates, Dietrich decided to strike a pose after homering against the Pirates. Again. That got former Pirate and current team broadcaster John Wehner talking. He was on 93.7 The Fan...
Tim Benz: Phil Kessel to Wild would’ve been wrong move for Penguins
If there was a trade in place between the Penguins and Wild involving Phil Kessel, it appears to be off now. And it appears it’s off because Kessel doesn’t want to go to Minnesota. The Wild aren’t on his eight-team approved list for trades. And, according to Sportsnet, Kessel doesn’t...
Tim Benz: NFL simplifies replay, poised to complicate Hail Marys
I’ll give this to the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary: They sure are a diplomatic bunch. I approached many of the defensive backs who were at organized team activities Thursday, looking for some reaction to the tweak of the new NFL pass-interference rules. In case you missed the news Wednesday, the league...
Tim Benz: Quieter Steelers on social media? So far, no good
An early question has been raised about the 2019 Pittsburgh Steelers. Did the team purge itself of players who do distracting, corrosive, nitwit-like things such as Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, Martavis Bryant and James Harrison? Or did they just pave the way for younger, louder, less-accomplished nitwits to emerge? Unfortunately,...
Tim Benz: New Steelers already pressed for jobs they were just hired for
Welcome to town. Now go fight for the job opening you just thought you were hired to fill. That is the message being sent by the Steelers to each of their three significant free-agent signees this offseason. Inside linebacker Mark Barron, formerly of the Rams, inked a two-year, $12 million...
