Tim Benz Columns category, Page 76
CBS rules expert says NFL needs to address officiating trend that’s gotten out of handVideo
Just about every NFL fan in America wants the overly protective penalty flags for roughing the passer to stop. There was another egregious one in the NFC playoff game between the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. THIS IS THE WORST ROUGHING THE PASSER CALL OF THE YEAR!...
Tim Benz: Penguins pull themselves back from the brink, avoid ‘soul-sucking’ loss to lowly Anaheim
The Pittsburgh Penguins knew exactly what they were staring at late in their game Monday night. The bottom. Having lost eight of their last 10 games, the Pens had just blown a 2-1 third-period lead at home to the Anaheim Ducks — a team with just 12 wins, second fewest...
Tim Benz: Andrew McCutchen’s return to Pirates is nice — let’s just leave it at that
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ re-signing of former star outfielder Andrew McCutchen is … nice. Looking for a hotter take than that? I don’t think there is one to be had. If McCutchen wants a career victory lap in the city where it all started, that’s nice. If the organization is willing...
Madden Monday: Blame for ‘scared’ Steelers offense misplaced — look to Mike Tomlin, not Matt Canada
Pittsburgh Steelers fans definitely noticed that the Miami Dolphins nearly took down the Buffalo Bills in their AFC playoff game Sunday. As the seventh seed in the AFC playoff bracket, the Dolphins went to Buffalo and only lost 34-31 despite being 13-point underdogs. That result seems to have Steelers fans...
Friday Football Footnotes: 1 neutral site AFC title game would be bad enough — making it permanent is an awful idea
Now that the door has been opened to such a conversation, there are some who feel that the NFL may give consideration to having the AFC and NFC Championship games in a neutral site. Dumb idea. Well, dumb from the standpoint of what’s good for the fans. I’m sure it’d...
Tim Benz: Steelers need to decide how real its offensive line improvement truly was
In a way, I feel bad for the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive linemen. In a few ways, actually. For one, the fans and media were all so certain that the offensive line was the Steelers’ weakest link that it wasn’t until early November that the public stopped holding the unit responsible...
First Call: Dolphins pass Steelers for dubious playoff stat; interesting college coaching name gets NFL interview
Postseason accolades keep rolling in for Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. A familiar college coaching name that may catch the Steelers’ eye is getting a look from the Denver Broncos. The Steelers have been passed by the Miami Dolphins for a dubious statistical note. In hockey, Connor McDavid keeps dazzling,...
U mad, bro?: Plenty of Steelers fans applaud team’s 9-8 finish, and push back on anyone who doesn’t
I would’ve loved to have included more Pittsburgh Steelers posts in this week’s “U mad, bro?” But I couldn’t because my fellow Trib Sports writers and I are busy coordinating coverage for the Steelers victory parade. Yup. The Steelers annual “Non-Losing Season Celebration” is underway. The route started on Grant...
Tim Benz: Biggest reasons Steelers turned season around — and can they do them again in ’23?
In 2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers started the season 2-6. They ended up 9-8. Here are the five big reasons why they were able to salvage a winning season and a look at if those positives may carry over to 2023. 1. Kenny Pickett started taking care of the ball The...
Jason Zucker adding scoring as he drags Penguins ‘into the fight’
The Pittsburgh Penguins were hosting the New York Rangers in a game before Christmas. Pens winger Jason Zucker shot a puck wide of the net. Like a basketball player crashing the glass for a rebound after a missed jumper, Zucker zipped beneath the goal line to track down the loose...
Tim Benz: Steelers finished strong in ’22, but their trend of awful starts needs to change
The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2022 season winning seven of nine games. As a result, some NFL fans and media members are lobbying for Mike Tomlin to win Coach of the Year. That’s ridiculous. Tomlin had a squad that was 9-7-1 last year and lost in the first round of...
CBS NFL rules analyst on Cam Heyward’s roughing-the-passer call vs. Browns: ‘It was an overreaction’
During his weekly “Zebra Talk” segment on WDVE, CBS NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore described Sunday’s controversial roughing-the-passer penalty against Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward as an “overreaction.” The penalty against Heyward came on a second down at the Pittsburgh 11-yard line. Heyward appeared to simply tackle Deshaun Watson as...
Tim Benz: For Steelers, the ‘standard’ is now … pretty standard
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a 9-8 team in a league that wants everybody to be 9-8. There are 32 teams in the NFL, and 16 of them finished with win totals between seven and nine games. There are 16 teams in the American Football Conference. The Steelers finished eighth, one...
Madden Monday: Reflecting on Steelers in 2022 — ‘I just don’t see it as a successful season’
The Pittsburgh Steelers ended the 2022 regular season in what has become very routine territory for them of late. At 9-8, they are .500-ish. This year that’s not good enough to make the playoffs. Last year 9-7-1 was barely good enough to qualify. All too familiar is the fact that...
Feats of Strength: Some individual applause for beating Browns, but big picture grievances as Steelers miss playoffs
Our biggest grievance this week is that this will be our final “Airing of Grievances” for the 2022-23 season. That’s because the Steelers didn’t get all the help they needed to qualify for the playoffs, despite beating the Cleveland Browns, 28-14, at Acrisure Stadium Sunday. But that’s not entirely true,...
Friday Football Footnotes: Problems with the tweaked AFC playoff proposals; a Jets injury that may impact Steelers
This week’s “Friday Football Footnotes” takes a look at a dent in the Steelers’ playoff hopes. Plus, we examine the tangled web of playoff scenarios the NFL is creating by canceling the Bengals-Bills game. We also look at the long-term ramifications of an in-season rules change and maybe some unintended...
Tim Benz: Throwing shade at NFL nothing but poorly directed attempts to invent blame for Damar Hamlin’s collapse
Maybe we just had too hard of a time processing what we had seen when Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during this week’s “Monday Night Football” game. It was inexplicable. It was unprecedented. It was jarring. Acknowledging that we may have been scared by what we saw...
First Call: Ben Roethlisberger’s admission about Kenny Pickett; Harrison, Ward miss Hall of Fame cut; ex-Steeler WR released
Thursday’s “First Call” features high praise from Ben Roethlisberger for his Steelers quarterback successor. A former Steelers wide receiver is back on the market. Two Steelers greats didn’t make the list of Hall of Fame finalists. The Penguins have a lot to copy from Thursday’s opponent. And Duquesne’s women’s team...
U mad, bro?: Fans torn on too much, too little heat on Matt Canada, Kenny Pickett, Steelers’ late-season push
Is Goldilocks actually a Steelers fan? And if so, she seems to email me a lot. Because I’m getting the sense that, with feedback I get, our criticism of the Steelers is, often, too hot. Strangely, it is just as frequently too cold. Will you folks ever let me know...
Tim Benz: Bills sideline reporter shares account of moments before field was cleared after Damar Hamlin’s collapse
In the wake of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s (Pitt/Pittsburgh Central Catholic) cardiac arrest on “Monday Night Football,” football fans are still waiting to hear from those involved about how the events were handled by the NFL. Thus far, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals players and coaches haven’t commented. The...
Tim Benz: The Winter Classic looked great, until we looked at how and why the Penguins lost
Monday’s Winter Classic hockey game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins looked great on television. Fenway Park was an excellent venue. The ice seemed to hold up. And the game was tight for three periods. Just one problem. The Penguins lost 2-1 and blew a third-period lead in the...
Feats of Strength: Another late Kenny Pickett TD drive, Najee Harris’ exploits ‘push’ Steelers to victory in Baltimore
It appears that the Steelers made a whole bunch of New Year’s resolutions in their game against the Baltimore Ravens. They just waited until New Year’s Day was almost over to follow through on them. For a long time, it looked like the Steelers were going to get all the...
Friday Football Footnotes: Beyond stopping the run, here’s everything else the Steelers need to do to beat the Ravens
The analysis of the Baltimore Ravens’ 16-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 11 was pretty simple. Baltimore ran the ball down the throats of the Steelers. To the tune of 215 yards. But Baltimore does that to a lot of teams — with or without Lamar Jackson at...
Tim Benz: Where the Steelers must improve their rush defense against the Ravens
In the week leading up to Round 2 of Steelers-Ravens for this season, one talking point has been abundantly clear in the Steelers locker room: Do better against the Baltimore rushing attack. For good reason. The Ravens trampled the Steelers on the ground last month when the teams met for...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans snap back at criticism of Kenny Pickett and go after Matt Canada, defensive payroll
Apparently, Pittsburgh sports fans want the media members who cover the Steelers to make a few New Year’s resolutions. • Be harder on the Steelers defense. • Be harder on offensive coordinator Matt Canada. • Be nicer to poor Kenny Pickett. That’s the vibe I’m getting anyway. Oh, and one...
