Tim Benz Columns category, Page 28
First Call: George Pickens insists of a ‘vendetta’ against Steelers … again; Diontae Johnson won’t play vs. SteelersVideo
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens is calling out NFL officiating. The Baltimore Ravens are telling Diontae Johnson to stay home. The Penguins will face stiff competition Tuesday night. And Duquesne star Megan McConnell is getting honored. All that in “First Call” Tuesday. ‘V’ for ‘Vendetta’ It’s certainly not for...
First Call: Steelers early underdogs in Baltimore; Patrick Mahomes injures ankle
In Monday’s “First Call,” the Pittsburgh Steelers are already underdogs for Saturday’s game in Baltimore. The Chiefs are monitoring Patrick Mahomes’ injured ankle before their Saturday date with Houston. A pair of former Steelers found the end zone in wins for their teams. Mason Rudolph saw some action for Tennessee....
Madden Monday: On loss to Philly — ‘I never felt the Steelers were in danger of winning that game’
If you are looking for positives, the Pittsburgh Steelers can take from Sunday’s 27-13 loss to the Eagles, good luck. Those are going to be tough to unearth, seeing as how the team held onto the ball for only about 20 minutes, had just one touchdown drive, and could only...
Airing of Grievances: Tackling woes, failed conversion downs sink Steelers’ latest attempt to win in Philadelphia
With the Pittsburgh Steelers failing to win in Philadelphia since 1965, let’s not be surprised by the club dropping another contest there again Sunday, 27-13. Very few people, including myself, expected them to even cover the 5½-point spread against the (now) 12-2 Eagles. But, at 10-3 entering the game, there...
Football Footnotes: Key matchups the Steelers must win vs. Eagles beyond containing Saquon Barkley
The most obvious task at hand for the Pittsburgh Steelers this week is figuring out a way to control Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. The Penn State product is leading the NFL in rushing with 1,623 yards. Every coach and player in the Steelers locker room has talked about...
First Call: Travis Kelce’s high praise for Pat Freiermuth; Steelers’ value bumps on Forbes list
Friday’s “First Call” has the latest financial value of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pat Freiermuth gets some high praise. The Penguins look to carry over Thursday’s success in Canada. Plus, we check out this weekend’s slate of games in college basketball and hockey. Money, money, money, money Forbes has published its...
First Call: Steelers expect Eagles to get A.J. Brown more involved; Joey Porter Jr. discusses defensive assignmentsVideo
Thursday’s “First Call” finds a Pittsburgh Steeler who is getting ready to play the Philadelphia Eagles for a second time this year. Joey Porter Jr. talks about trying to slow the Eagles’ offensive attack. The Penguins are heading up to Canada. And an AFC contender is keeping a close eye...
U mad, bro?: Readers fuming about Steelers fans’ behavior, George Pickens media coverage, MLB contracts
The Pittsburgh Steelers have won two in a row. The Penguins are generally playing better. And it even appears the Pirates are trying to address their first base hole with someone who isn’t old, washed up and overweight. So, generally, readers are in a good mood right now. Keep in...
Avs’ stars not the only factor in Penguins’ loss to Colorado
Better editions of the Pittsburgh Penguins than this year’s model certainly would’ve had trouble with the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night. That’s a team with recent Stanley Cup pedigree, and the Avs played like it at PPG Paints Arena en route to a 6-2 win. Two-time All-Star Mikko Rantanen had...
Tim Benz: Lots to be gleaned from Steelers’ 3-game gauntlet
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, their long-awaited mid-winter slog through three playoff-quality opponents begins this weekend. Three games over 11 days. Three opponents that have combined for 31 wins. The first game is Sunday in Philadelphia against the 11-2 Eagles. Then the Steelers face their arch-rivals from the AFC North on...
First Call: Who Big Ben likes more than Mike Tomlin for Coach of the Year; Eagles DB says he was almost a SteelerVideo
The Philadelphia Eagles head coach is attempting to quell concerns about locker room discord heading into Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A Philadelphia defensive back discloses he almost wound up in Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger has some interesting NFL Coach of the Year thoughts. And the Duquesne men’s basketball team...
Tim Benz: Forget ‘Golden At-Bats.’ Let’s talk ‘Golden Contracts’
I feel as if I should be having some sort of emotional reaction to the New York Mets giving Juan Soto more than three-quarters of a billion dollars over 15 years. I’m not. The baseball fan inside me ought to be screaming about what this means for the state of...
Steelers visit Philly amid Eagles tension following A.J. Brown’s complaints about passing game
As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to visit Philadelphia this weekend, they are hardly walking into the “City of Brotherly Love.” The 11-2 Eagles will welcome the Steelers on Sunday during a nine-game win streak. However, all is not harmonious at the other end of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. After Sunday’s 22-16...
Feats of Strength: Steelers use 2nd-half adjustments, crucial turnovers in revenge-game win over Cleveland
No snow. No Myles Garrett WWE-style trash-talking interviews. No George Pickens dust-ups at the end of the game. No Pickens at all, actually. He was out with a hamstring injury. In other words, Game 2 between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns couldn’t have been more different from Game 1...
First Call: Bill Belichick to the ACC?; Russell Wilson contract theories; Jets’ rumored interest in Arthur Smith
Friday’s “First Call” has some predictions about how the Pittsburgh Steelers may handle their quarterback situation next year. There are rumors about Bill Belichick coaching at the college level and Arthur Smith drawing interest from another NFL team for a head coaching spot. We also examine some quirks in the...
Football Footnotes: 5 key points where Steelers can improve against BrownsVideo
Plenty of things went wrong when the Pittsburgh Steelers visited Cleveland and lost 24-19 on Nov. 21. It’s the team’s only defeat in the past seven outings. After the game, most folks were blaming the coaching staff. Rightfully so. It was a lousy performance. Every 50-50 decision Mike Tomlin and...
First Call: T.J. Watt accused of dirty play and J.J. Watt responds; Pirates could ‘surprise us by landing a solid free-agent bat’Video
There are some on the internet calling Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt a dirty player. His Hall Of Fame-bound big brother isn’t standing for that. The Steelers worked out a former Cleveland Browns defensive lineman in advance of their matchup this weekend. The Pirates may be in the market to...
U mad, bro?: MLB Golden At-Bat idea and Mike Tomlin’s clock management top this week’s long list of complaints
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 9-3 and just put up 44 points en route to beating a hated division rival in their own building. But, along the way, Joey Porter Jr. was flagged for six penalties, Mike Tomlin barely avoided another clock management fiasco, and Major League Baseball is apparently considering...
1st episode of AFC North ‘Hard Knocks’ was heavy on good football, light on conflict and intrigueVideo
The first episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks: In Season With the AFC North” gave me exactly what I expected. It was a typical NFL Films all-access, behind-the-curtain look at the Pittsburgh Steelers and their three AFC North foes in Cleveland, Baltimore and Cincinnati. It’s shot brilliantly. It’s well-directed and well-produced....
Tim Benz: At 9-3, Mike Tomlin can avoid ‘feeding the beast’ — at least in front of the cameras
There are plenty of good vibes coming out of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 44-38 win in Cincinnati last week, and surrounding their 9-3 record overall. That doesn’t mean there aren’t points of concern heading into this Sunday’s game against the 3-9 Cleveland Browns, though. How is George Pickens going to regulate...
Tim Benz: MLB ‘Golden At-Bat’ idea takes gold medal for stupidity
I’m not one who immediately flushes the idea of change when it comes to the sport of Major League Baseball. By nature, I’m not automatically a stodgy, old-school baseball traditionalist. I embraced the pitch clock and applauded limited checks of runners on base. I initially balked at the wild card....
Like winning 2 games in 1: Steelers’ victory over Bengals may mean even more than you think
On the surface, it’s easy to dilute enthusiasm after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 44-38 win in Cincinnati on Sunday. After all, it came against the meager four-win Bengals and their historically bad defense. But that victory in “The Jungle” was much more than just one checkmark in the win column against...
Madden Monday: Steelers’ win in Cincinnati doesn’t outweigh remaining hurdles
The Pittsburgh Steelers dispatched the Cincinnati Bengals 44-38 Sunday. So that means they’ve managed to win two of their first three AFC North games at the halfway point of their back-loaded divisional schedule. One game each remains against the Bengals, Browns and Ravens — along with contests in Philadelphia and...
Feats of Strength: Russell Wilson’s huge day, key defensive splash plays secure Steelers shootout over Bengals
During the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris had to leave the contest briefly because he didn’t feel well after a run. He blamed himself for eating too much of a dessert made by tight end Pat Freiermuth’s girlfriend during Thanksgiving...
Tim Benz: Whoever points at Arthur Smith for Cleveland loss should point at Mike Tomlin too
CBS NFL insider Jason La Canfora appeared on 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday morning. He made the following statement about Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith based on what unnamed people within the team’s headquarters are telling him. “There’s people in that building looking at Arthur Smith, like, ‘Come on...
