Tim Benz Columns category, Page 91
Penguins have plenty to fix before season’s 1st matchup with Rangers
It’s not often that the Pittsburgh Penguins have to wait until late February to play their Metropolitan Division rival New York Rangers. Now that they get to do so, though, they may want to wait a little longer. After a rotten 6-1 loss to the last-place New Jersey Devils on...
Suggestions for an all-Pirates set list when Metallica plays at PNC Park in August
We found out Thursday that Metallica is going to headline a concert at PNC Park on Aug. 14. The heavy metal band pumped out its first album in 1983 and has built up quite a library. So I thought I might help out by suggesting a Pirates-specific set list for...
Tim Benz: Plenty for Steelers to learn from outside candidates in general manager search
When Kevin Colbert leaves his post as Steelers general manager after this spring’s NFL Draft, he’ll leave behind a 22-year legacy of constructing teams that went to three Super Bowls, won two Vince Lombardi trophies and qualified for the playoffs 14 times. He’ll also leave behind a legacy of essentially...
Tim Benz: Of all the things Kevin Colbert discussed Monday, Stephon Tuitt’s status may be the most pressing
Outgoing Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert held his annual offseason get-together with selected Steelers media members Tuesday. Many issues were discussed. The plans to replace him after he retires following the draft. The offseason gameplan about what will be done at quarterback to replace the retired Ben Roethlisberger. What...
Tim Benz: 3 goals the Steelers can meet by hiring Brian Flores
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ decision to hire former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores as a senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach attempts to address three things. Two of them appear to be about battles of perception. The other is about the battle to get the opposing team off the field without racking...
Tim Benz: Pittsburgh’s Janice Masters aims to elevate Women’s National Football Conference as new commissioner
For Pittsburgh’s Janice Masters, the workload can sometimes be like a second full-time job. Except she’s not getting paid for this one. Roger Goodell gets between $50 million to $60 million per year to be commissioner of the National Football League. What Masters gets to be commissioner of the Women’s...
After Sidney Crosby’s 50th goal vs. the Flyers, a former linemate recalls how that rivalry began
As the Penguins look to extend their winning streak to five games Thursday night in Canada against the Toronto Maple Leafs, many fans are still basking in the afterglow of Tuesday’s victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Not only was it an enjoyable 5-4 comeback win for the Metropolitan Division-leading Penguins...
Tim Benz: Sidney Crosby wrote the perfect script, Kris Letang authored the perfect ending
It felt like a perfect night of Penguins hockey at PPG Paints Arena. Sidney Crosby scored his 500th goal in front of a raucous crowd of 18,385. A Sid-sational moment for a sensational player.Congratulations, Sidney! ???? pic.twitter.com/WrPh5R4qDx— NHL (@NHL) February 16, 2022 He did so against the hated Philadelphia...
With the 2021 NFL season complete, Steelers have underwhelming public perception, expectations for 2022
When you think of the Pittsburgh Steelers compared to other NFL franchises, do these names pop into your head immediately? The Atlanta Falcons. The Washington Commanders. The Carolina Panthers. How about some other long-standing organizations with a history of winning Super Bowls that have fallen on hard times recently? Teams...
Tim Benz: Sidney Crosby getting No. 500 against the Flyers would be perfect in so many ways
We can only assume that Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has done this on purpose, right? During the first game back from the All-Star break on Feb. 8, Crosby scored career goal No. 499 of his career as part of a 4-2 win over the Boston Bruins. Crosby then picked...
Following Rams Super Bowl win, retirement talk for both Pitt star Aaron Donald and coach Sean McVay?
During the Super Bowl pregame show, NBC aired an interview that Rodney Harrison did with Los Angeles Rams star and former Pitt Panther Aaron Donald. Harrison told the audience that Donald informed him he might retire if the Rams won the Super Bowl. “He’s big on legacy,” Harrison said. “He...
Reliving Ben Roethlisberger’s Super Bowl XLIII game-winning drive, the most memorable in team history
The Steelers’ last Super Bowl win was 13 years ago in Tampa Bay, Fla. They beat the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23, in Super Bowl XLIII for the franchise’s sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy. It couldn’t have happened without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who retired from the NFL after the Steelers finished their 2021...
Bengals DB Mike Hilton discusses emotions toward Steelers in advance of Super Bowl
When former Pittsburgh Steeler Mike Hilton came back to Heinz Field with the Cincinnati Bengals in September, he definitely relished his new team’s 24-10 victory over his former franchise. Bengals teammate Tyler Boyd said Hilton spoke to the team twice in the days leading up to that game, claiming he...
Bengals DB Mike Hilton discusses emotions toward Steelers in advance of Super Bowl
When former Pittsburgh Steeler Mike Hilton came back to Heinz Field with the Cincinnati Bengals in September, he definitely relished his new team’s 24-10 victory over his former franchise. Bengals teammate Tyler Boyd said Hilton spoke to the team twice in the days leading up to that game, claiming he...
Former Steelers assistant Kirby Wilson feels special connection to Pittsburgh as he becomes Maulers head coach
As former Pittsburgh Steelers assistant coach Kirby Wilson began the interview, the first words out of his mouth were “It’s great to be alive to do this.” For Wilson, those words go beyond hyperbole or daily affirmation. They go beyond what is obvious excitement for landing his first head coaching...
As Sidney Crosby nears 500th goal, defining his scoring style is hard to do
As the All-Star break ends and the Pittsburgh Penguins get back on the ice, Sidney Crosby continues his quest for his 500th career goal. He’s currently sitting on 498. During the All-Star break, I gathered some quotes and spoke with a few people that have played with Crosby or covered...
Tim Benz: Tom Brady’s retirement offers more than just memories of bitter defeat for Steelers fans
With Tom Brady’s retirement from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week, that assures one thing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Well, two things. First of all, there’s another team that is now thrust into the offseason quarterback carousel (unless head coach Bruce Arians really believes his own Blaine Gabbert hype). Secondly,...
With both coaches in place, Robert Morris men’s and women’s hockey can focus on rebuilding rosters
For the recently reinstated Robert Morris University ice hockey programs, maybe these were the last of the first steps toward a return to the ice. With two head coaches now entrenched, the big strides toward rebuilding can truly begin. Both programs were cut by the university in May 2021. But...
Tim Benz: 1 aspect of the Penguins’ game that must be rediscovered coming out of the All-Star Break
After a torrid stretch winning 17 of 19 games between Dec. 4 and Jan. 25, the Pittsburgh Penguins limped into the All-Star break by losing four in a row. All of the games were at home. All of the defeats were against clubs with fewer points than them in the...
Tim Benz: Pacman Jones doesn’t want Steelers fans on the Bengals’ bandwagon. Let’s help calm his concerns
Former Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Adam “Pacman” Jones says he doesn’t want Pittsburgh Steelers fans glomming on to the Super Bowl success of his former franchise. “We don’t want none of the Pittsburgh fans jumping on the bandwagon,” Jones told 93.7 The Fan this week. I’m pretty sure he has...
Why Pitt’s Kenny Pickett didn’t want his hands measured at the Senior Bowl and what he’s doing about it
Questions over the size of Kenny Pickett’s hands have long been part of his pre-draft conversation. According to the ProFootballNetwork, the former Pitt Panthers quarterback is reported to have hands that measure only 8¼ inches. The standard by which most quarterbacks are measured is 9 inches. The concern is ball...
Madden Monday: Maybe Patrick Mahomes is only a 1-win Super Bowl quarterback
One word to best describe the Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game is “arrogance.” To blow off a sure field goal in hopes of scoring a touchdown with just five seconds to go at the end of the first half was pure arrogance....
Tim Benz: Steelers quarterback situation makes it hard to buy what Art Rooney II is selling about Super Bowl goals
During his annual season-ending media session, Art Rooney II made one thing clear. His franchise doesn’t have thoughts of rebuilding. The goal is to have a Super Bowl-winning mentality heading into 2022. “I would never sit here and say that we’re going to change our goal of trying to win...
Mike Sullivan said (almost) everything that needed to be said after Penguins’ loss to Seattle
After the Penguins’ 2-1 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken Thursday night, head coach Mike Sullivan said everything that needed to be said about the third-period sequence that led to the game-tying goal. Well, almost everything. There were roughly four minutes left when Evgeni Malkin tried a drop pass to...
First Call: Antonio Brown on Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement; Steelers work out DB with familiar bloodlines
Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement announcement dovetailed with an ironic anniversary in Steelers history. Antonio Brown reaches out to Big Ben on the day his career officially comes to an end. The Steelers work out a defensive back with an interesting background. And the Duquesne Dukes look to get themselves right on...
