Tim Benz Columns category, Page 53
Tim Benz: September mistakes in December? Welcome to a winter of discontent for Steelers fans
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin often says that he does not like to “paint with a broad brush.” After losing a third straight game Saturday in Indianapolis, though, Tomlin understood it was time to use a few wide strokes when describing what is wrong with his team. One of them...
First Call: Ex-NFL, Pitt player calls out George Pickens’ effort; Pat Freiermuth owns bad play vs. Colts
If Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens thinks that only non-athlete media types are criticizing his lack of effort, then he is sorely mistaken. Pat Freiermuth is taking the blame for a bad play in the Steelers’ most recent loss. The officiating crew has been revealed for this week’s Steelers-Bengals...
First Call: Ja’Marr Chase may miss Steelers game; surprising support for Damontae Kazee; Rashard Mendenhall mocked for ‘Race Bowl’ idea
The Pittsburgh Steelers may not have to contend with Cincinnati’s top pass catcher on Saturday. Damontae Kazee is getting some support from interesting places. Rashard Mendenhall can’t help making himself look dumb. And a former WPIAL basketball star shows a little brotherly love. All that in Tuesday’s “First Call.” Bengals...
Marc-Andre Fleury appreciative of love from Penguins fans even while sitting out Monday’s game
Don’t take this the wrong way, Pittsburgh Penguins fans. But Marc-Andre Fleury was trying to avoid hearing you chant for him to get into the game Monday night at PPG Paints Arena. “I didn’t want to hear it,” Fleury said after his Minnesota Wild lost to the Penguins 4-3. “Because...
Tim Benz: Making Mason Rudolph the Steelers’ starter has already helped Mike Tomlin
During Monday’s press conference, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin summed up his feelings about the club’s three-game losing streak. “One week, you’re drinking wine, then next week you’re squashing grapes. Obviously, we’ve squashed a lot of grapes of late. I’m interested in a little wine,” Tomlin said. After the...
Madden Monday: There’s only 1 scenario that would see Mike Tomlin gone as Steelers’ coach
Despite a lot of speculation about the future of Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh, odds are that he’ll be back as the Steelers’ head coach next year. The franchise has had only three coaches since 1969. Plus, team owner Art Rooney II has so often publicly aligned himself with Tomlin despite...
First Call: Terry Bradshaw pans Steelers’ offensive line; Shannon Sharpe questions Mike Tomlin’s recent resume
Monday’s “First Call” paints a less-than-pretty picture of the AFC wild-card race for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Terry Bradshaw has some thoughts on the Steelers’ offense. Shannon Sharpe has thoughts on Mike Tomlin. We look at Marc-Andre Fleury’s return to Pittsburgh, and it was a rough weekend against a tough opponent...
Airing of Grievances: Turnovers, flags, bad defense, worse offense … Aside from that, Steelers were great in Indy
With a 30-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, the Pittsburgh Steelers have now lost three in a row and have fallen to 7-7. That’s good for just 11th in the conference. They now are last in the AFC North. The Steelers blew an early 13-0 lead. From that...
First Call: Cam Heyward disagrees with Ben Roethlisberger’s ‘Steelers Way’ take; Tyler Glasnow reportedly heading west in trade
Friday’s “First Call” features Cameron Heyward rebuffing Ben Roethlisberger’s assessment of Pittsburgh Steelers culture. An ex-Steeler is upset with the state of the team. A former Pirate is about to be part of a big trade. And a local hoops star just set a record at Duquesne. Dissenting opinion Ben...
Football Footnotes: There’s no reason to bet on the Steelers Saturday, so just go ahead and do so
After losing back-to-back games against a pair of two-win teams, there is no reason to pick the Pittsburgh Steelers to win Saturday in Indianapolis. Hence, I’m picking the Steelers to win Saturday in Indianapolis. That’s the way the NFL has been the past five to 10 years. That’s the way...
Tim Benz: Penguins’ victory in Montreal is the latest in a long line of potential launch points
In a season that’s been up and down at times (to be kind) and flat-out maddening at others (to be blunt), the Pittsburgh Penguins have constantly been searching for that lightning bolt moment. They’ve hunted for a turnaround game that could ignite an extended winning streak. One that would eventually...
U mad, bro?: Rich Eisen makes a celebrity appearance as opinions fly about Steelers coach Mike Tomlin
A lot of you think I don’t like Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. That’s not true. I like Tomlin more than many readers presume as a person and as a coach. What I hate is the national media coverage of Tomlin. Part of the reason why I’m as critical of...
First Call: Merril Hoge rips Steelers’ route running, tight end blocking; Steelers’ wild-card path deemed NFL’s most difficult
Thursday’s “First Call” has unkind critiques of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ tight ends from a former player. The NFL rule book is about to get more complicated. The Steelers’ playoff road is rated as the most slippery in the league. And Marc Andre-Fleury discusses his long-term future. That sounds bad Former...
Tim Benz: Empty those ‘half full’ glasses. The Penguins can finally toast the power play
After his team’s 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes Tuesday night, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan leaned into a tried and true analogy when discussing the impact of his team finally scoring a pair of power-play goals. “Seeing the glass half full a little bit and trying to celebrate some of...
A trade for Mike Tomlin? Fox’s Jay Glazer tells one team to ‘swing away’
Despite what is currently a six-year drought without a playoff win, the Steelers are highly unlikely to fire head coach Mike Tomlin after this season. But would they consider trading him at the nadir of his run in Pittsburgh? Presumably, Tomlin could still hold significant cachet with other franchises, starving...
Tim Benz: If Steelers ‘ills’ are fixable, prove it this week — or start planning for 2024
There are two constants in Pittsburgh. The first is citywide angst whenever the Steelers go into a slump. The second is road construction. Let’s bring those two unavoidable eventualities together. Let’s say the Hot Metal Bridge near the Steelers’ facility needs repairs — again. Construction crews can make the decision...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ back-to-back losses made history, but we’ve seen this before
It felt stupid, didn’t it? Tracking all those AFC games Sunday to see how they would impact the Steelers and the playoff standings. What a fruitless endeavor after how the Steelers performed in their last two games, losing both at home against teams (the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots)...
Madden Monday: There’s a difference between firing Mike Sullivan and firing Mike Tomlin
Everything is bad with the Pittsburgh Steelers right now. Losing back-to-back home games against two-win teams (the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots) has sapped any enthusiasm moving forward for the rest of the season. What’s even worse is that whenever the team is eventually eliminated from the playoffs —...
Tim Benz: Kareem Rozier’s maturity, leadership keys to Duquesne’s early success
Duquesne sophomore point guard Kareem Rozier turned 19 right before Thanksgiving. But if you meet him, talk to him, or just see him run the Dukes on the floor, you might say to yourself, “Are we sure he isn’t 29? Or 39? And is he really running the point? Or...
Airing of Grievances: Impotent offense, disappointing defense, scattered coaching as Steelers gag against Patriots
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t bat an eyelash at the Pittsburgh Steelers getting dusted at home by the New England Patriots. During the height of the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick years, that was a common occurrence. However, Brady is long gone and so is that era of Patriots football. They entered...
Football Footnotes: Is this the end for Bill Belichick in New England?
Two things seem pretty obvious heading into the latest edition of Steelers-Patriots on Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium: 1. There won’t be many points on the scoreboard at the end of the night. 2. No one is going to be confusing this game with any one of the classics involving...
U mad, bro?: Awful Arizona loss, Diontae’s dancing have Steelers fans in a Grinchy mood
The Pittsburgh Steelers just suffered one of the franchise’s worst losses ever at Acrisure Stadium. Diontae Johnson celebrated a meaningless touchdown. The Penguins look as old as we feared that they would. And Sports Illustrated is rewarding empty hype in college football. All we need now is the annual December...
First Call: ‘Optimism’ for Najee Harris vs. Patriots; Micah Parsons on T.J. Watt’s holding complaints
Thursday’s “First Call” has a hopeful health update for Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris. T.J. Watt is getting lots of Pro Bowl votes and support from a fellow pass-rushing star in their battle against holding calls. We also recap a busy night of college basketball action, and Robert Morris’...
First Call: Steelers veteran says ‘we sure can’t lose’ to another 2-win team; Patriots’ top RB out multiple weeks
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” a Pittsburgh Steelers veteran is drawing a line in the sand in advance of the team’s game against New England on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Patriots will have to get over the loss of an important contributor to their already anemic offense. An upcoming opponent for the...
Tim Benz: Kenny Pickett’s latest injury shows how rough QB life may get in Pittsburgh
Kenny Pickett’s latest injury — on top of his overall lack of progress this year — is starting to make people wonder if the Steelers got it wrong in their first attempt to replace future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The fact that Pickett is being replaced by Mitch...
