Tim Benz Columns category, Page 80
Friday Football Footnotes: Tua on facing Steelers assistant Brian Flores; Bucs on Tom Brady’s tantrum; Eagles unbeaten forecast
This week’s “Friday Football Footnotes” shares Tua Tagovailoa’s view of facing Steelers assistant coach Brian Flores. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line is reacting to Tom Brady’s mid-game tantrum in Pittsburgh. There is trade speculation surrounding a player in the Steelers-Dolphins game besides Chase Claypool. The New York teams are...
50 years after ‘The Fake’: Dolphins’ Larry Seiple recalls his fake punt to help beat the Steelers, preserve a perfect season
On Christmas Eve, “Raider Nation” will have to suffer as Steelers fans at Acrisure Stadium revel in the memory of the Immaculate Reception. In honor of the 50th anniversary of that play—and that Steelers playoff victory — the league is using Pittsburgh as the stage for a rare Saturday night...
U mad, bro?: After beating the Bucs, ‘How do you like us now?’ is the theme from Steelers fans
The Pittsburgh Steelers finally won for the first time in a month, and the “How do you like us now?” crew is out in force. At least that’s what my inbox and Twitter feed is showing me. Now, they may not know what the heck they are talking about. But...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ emergency players in secondary should get a longer look
After a successful effort holding down Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last weekend, the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary will have another challenge on their hands Sunday night against the Miami Dolphins. Two questions exist. • Can they replicate what they did against the Bucs? • Who will they deploy...
Tim Benz: If Kenny Pickett is cleared, Mike Tomlin is right to start him — for 2 reasons
When Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Kenny Pickett left Sunday’s game with a concussion, backup Mitch Trubisky replaced him with a game-winning (and perhaps season-resurrecting) performance. On Tuesday, however, coach Mike Tomlin announced that — if healthy — Pickett would be the starter this Sunday night in Miami. “It’s my understanding...
Ben Roethlisberger on Tom Brady: ‘It didn’t look like he wanted to be out there … It just looked like a different Tom’
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger managed to beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots three times in Pittsburgh during his career. This weekend, the future Hall of Famer saw his soon-to-be Canton counterpart lose to the Steelers in a different capacity. Brady was quarterbacking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers....
Tim Benz: Mitch Trubisky must embrace what made him successful vs. Buccaneers
For Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky, there’s no doubt his performance in less than one half of football Sunday was more memorable than any stretch he put together in his four starts to begin the year. Hopefully, he embraces one of the obvious reasons why. When Trubisky replaced an injured...
Madden Monday: ‘If both quarterbacks are available, I would go with Mitch Trubisky’
Revisiting the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback debate this week will become a moot point if Kenny Pickett is ruled out after suffering a concussion Sunday during a 20-18 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But if he is ready to play Sunday night in Miami, Mark Madden of TribLIVE and 105.9...
Feats of Strength: Trio of much maligned Steelers comes up huge as Steelers stun Buccaneers
Go ahead. You figure out the 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers. Or the NFL in general. The 1-4 Steelers entered Sunday’s game against the 3-2 Buccaneers on a four-game losing streak. A week after getting shredded in Buffalo, 38-3, the Steelers secondary dressed just one healthy starter. Coach Mike Tomlin’s team also...
Friday Football Footnotes: Steelers must address plenty of specific areas if they are to hang with Tom Brady, Bucs
The Pittsburgh Steelers are eight-point underdogs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home. That’s not something this fanbase is used to seeing. But they are used to seeing Tom Brady shred the Steelers defense. And that’s usually when the defense has been good. Without T.J. Watt, this year’s Steelers defense...
Tim Benz: Penguins put early season advantages on display in season opener
If this version of the Pittsburgh Penguins wants to be what it thinks it can be, then it needs to do a lot more of what it did in Thursday night’s 2022-23 regular-season opener. Wait. Save it. I’ll fill in your response here. “Oh really, Tim? You mean, beat a...
30 years after Sid Bream’s slide, the Pirates still can’t escape the fallout
More than anything, John Wehner remembers a sound in the locker room. The Pittsburgh-born Pirates infielder was part of the team that lost Game 7 of the 1992 National League Championship Series, 3-2. “It’s dead silent except for the clubhouse guys. Out of breath. Heavy breathing,” Wehner said. The clubhouse...
First Call: Bucs coach praises Steelers QB Kenny Pickett; Matt Murray’s first start for Toronto; rare storyline for Bills vs. Chiefs
Despite a lousy result in his first start, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett apparently put enough good things on tape to open the eyes of this week’s opposing head coach. We are going to see a first when the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs square off Sunday afternoon. A...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans in a snit over roster construction, T.J. Watt’s injuries, stadium name change
When on-field issues with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates become so overwhelming that no fix appears likely, fans tend to opine about less tangible problems. Like, for instance: stadium names, the media, former employees and 30-year-old plays from history. That’s what I discovered in this week’s “U mad, bro?” David...
Before Sid slid: All the ‘freaky things’ that happened in the 9th inning before Sid Bream’s infamous slide in 1992
With the anniversary of Game 7 of the 1992 National League Championship Series fast approaching, I reached out to former Pirates manager Jim Leyland. Not long after I sent a text message requesting a telephone interview, he called back. “Hi, Jim. Thanks for calling. I appreciate it.” “What are you...
Tim Benz: Time for national media to stop pretending that the Steelers’ lousy start is a surprise
Regarding his team’s dreadful 1-4 start, I agree with at least one point Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made during his press conference Tuesday afternoon. “We didn’t dig ourselves into this circumstance in one day, so we’re not going to dig ourselves out of this circumstance in one day or...
Their side of ‘The Slide’: 30 years later, Sid Bream, Francisco Cabrera recall ending Pirates’ World Series hopes in 1992
Don Kelly wears the uniform of the team he passionately supported as a child. The Mt. Lebanon High School product played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007 and is now the bench coach on manager Derek Shelton’s staff. As a minor leaguer for the Detroit Tigers, Kelly made the acquaintance...
NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore on flags for QB hits: ‘Refs are screwing up’
After what appeared to be two horrible roughing the passer penalties this week in the NFL, a former league referee is putting the onus squarely on the shoulders of the on-field officials and not the rule book. At issue are the NFL’s incredibly stringent rules to protect quarterbacks and whether...
Tim Benz: Steelers guard James Daniels says NFL office prevented his ejection in Buffalo
Offensive lineman James Daniels received a lot of praise from Steelers fans for retaliating on behalf of quarterback Kenny Pickett during the team’s 38-3 loss in Buffalo on Sunday afternoon. Late in the third quarter, down 31-3, Pickett was scrambling. He attempted to give himself up with a slide when...
Madden Monday: After Steelers’ ’embarrassing’ loss in Buffalo, there’s no doubt they’re ‘going to go into the bye 1-7’
If you are a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and, for whatever reason, you missed Sunday’s 38-3 loss in Buffalo, I’m guessing the first thing that went through your mind was: “Was it really that bad?” In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLIVE is here...
Airing of Grievances: Blame for every aspect of Steelers as they get ‘smashed’ in Buffalo
So much for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “spark” with Kenny Pickett. That didn’t last very long, did it? Actually, it didn’t even last through the fourth quarter of the New York Jets game. But in Sunday’s 38-3 defeat in Buffalo, the Steelers never found a spark at all. Never lit a...
Tim Benz: Less than a year from returning, Robert Morris hockey programs ramping up for comeback
Robert Morris University hockey coach Derek Schooley is aware of how time is marching along. He has a countdown clock on his phone. He sees it every day. “I believe 450 days is when I started it,” Schooley said. “It seemed like it was going to take forever. Now that...
Friday Football Footnotes: Von Miller dismisses Kenny Pickett’s ‘underdog’ quote; Bart Scott pans Steelers drafting Pickett
In this week’s edition of “Friday Football Footnotes,” a member of the Buffalo Bills takes exception to something said by Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett. A former rival of the Steelers pans the franchise’s decision to draft Pickett instead of addressing the offensive line. Plus, Le’Veon Bell isn’t done with boxing,...
U mad, bro?: Steelers, Penguins fans take swings at Mitch Trubisky, Mike Tomlin, Mike Sullivan, Prime Video
As the Steelers changed quarterbacks this week, a funny thing happened on my way to the “U mad, bro?” inbox. Apparently, I’ve gone from a writer who is too negative, sarcastic, antagonistic and pessimistic to a guy who is too soft and forgiving. According to some of you folks this...
Tim Benz: Kenny Pickett’s ‘spark’ better last a ‘definitive’ time for Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky seemed to lock in on the phrase. I can’t blame him. So did I. While conducting post-game interviews Sunday after he was benched for Pitt product Kenny Pickett during a 24-20 loss to the New York Jets, Trubisky was asked if he thought his benching...
