Tim Benz Columns category, Page 55
First Call: Maulers eliminated; Joe Flacco may start for Browns; Pro Bowl TE to Ravens?
The Pittsburgh Steelers may miss a key member of the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Lots of nuggets are coming out of the AFC North. The Penguins are getting set to face the Flyers. We check in on RMU hockey. And RIP Pittsburgh Maulers … again. Hollywood’s heel As the Steelers...
First Call: Steelers may miss another opponent’s injured star; Ben Roethlisberger stumps for teammates to make Hall of Fame
Wednesday’s “First Call” features Ben Roethlisberger’s Hall of Fame campaign for two former teammates. We also discover another star player who may miss a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Plus, we get a look at Sunday’s Steelers-Cardinals officiating crew. And we preview the college basketball night ahead for Duquesne and...
Tim Benz: A lot went right, but too much went wrong for Penguins in Nashville
If it wasn’t for how the game started — or how the game ended in overtime — the Pittsburgh Penguins had a pretty good night in Nashville. Unfortunately, even though most nights can get a little blurry on Broadway, we can’t forget those two things happened, though. As a result,...
NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore weighs in on disputed Diontae Johnson call in end zone
Coming out of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first game post-Matt Canada, we’ve had to frequently remind ourselves that the offense still only scored 16 points in Cincinnati on Sunday. Although we should also probably keep in mind that it should have been 23 points en route to the win if Diontae...
Tim Benz: Despite finally eclipsing 400 yards, Steelers offense still has plenty of areas to improve
For the past two years, complaints about the Pittsburgh Steelers offense under deposed coordinator Matt Canada from fans and media went something like this: • They don’t use the middle of the field enough. • Whenever he’s actually healthy, they don’t use tight end Pat Freiermuth enough. • They don’t...
First Call: Cam Heyward upset Steelers’ dust-up is public; Myles Garrett update; Josh Dobbs struggles on ‘MNF’
Pittsburgh Steelers veteran Cameron Heyward is upset that word of the team’s locker room disagreement in Cleveland became public. We have an update on Myles Garrett’s injury. Josh Dobbs had a rough go of it on “Monday Night Football.” A former Steeler is out of a coaching job. And we...
First Call: Steelers’ next opponent limping into Pittsburgh; Myles Garrett injured; ex-Steeler closes Ravens’ win
Monday’s “First Call” takes a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponent next week. We also check in on injuries to two key Cleveland Browns and an important Cincinnati Bengal. Then we see how a former Steeler helped close out a win for the Ravens in Los Angeles. Bird’s eye view...
Madden Monday: Steelers are ‘masters of winning games you would never watch again’
The Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 7-4 by virtue of their 16-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLive is still trying to figure out how that is possible given their frequent inability to score points. Despite the fact that the offense got...
Feats of Strength: Steelers offense has life after coordinator change; defense comes up big in Cincinnati
It’s not often that an NFL team scores 16 points, and the franchise’s fan base celebrates an offensive explosion. But when that team has a 400-yard day for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic was still in full swing, it’s party time. Such was the case for the Pittsburgh...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans happy about coordinator move, but angry about much more
Since so many Steelers fans have been so desperate to fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada, I thought there would be more happiness about his dismissal. Instead, at least in my inbox and social media interactions, I’ve gotten much more: “They shoulda fired Mike Tomlin, too! They should move on from...
Tim Benz: Matt Canada fired now so Mike Tomlin can protect Kenny Pickett
At Mike Tomlin’s weekly news conference Tuesday, the Steelers coach received a lot of questions about Matt Canada’s firing that essentially amounted to: “Why now?” Why — after 21⁄2 years of evidence that suggested Canada shouldn’t be an offensive coordinator in the NFL — did Tomlin finally terminate Canada’s role...
Penguins looking to build on win over Stanley Cup champs heading into busy Thanksgiving weekend
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ five-game winning streak was abruptly halted by a dud of a performance last Thursday. They lost 5-2 at home to the New Jersey Devils. “In any area, we weren’t really good, to be honest,” captain Sidney Crosby admitted after the defeat. “We didn’t execute well… They were...
Tim Benz: Developing QB dilemma just the latest internal Steelers contradiction
The 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers are a team chock-full of contradictions. • The entire premise of the offense is to seek victory by way of securing the football, avoiding turnovers and minimizing mistakes. But the offense is so conservative it can’t maintain possession and rarely threatens to score. • After a...
Madden Monday: Steelers should start Mason Rudolph, Penguins Alex Nedeljkovic in their next games
Based on what he saw this weekend from the Steelers and Penguins, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X wants to see a shake-up. At both quarterback and goaltender. In the wake of their 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns Sunday, let’s start with the Steelers first. Madden says...
Airing of Grievances: Steelers impotent on offense, lack splash on defense in agonizing loss to Browns
The Pittsburgh Steelers lost a football game in Cleveland on Sunday, 13-10. The offense only scored on two possessions and punted nine times. The Browns were starting a rookie backup quarterback. Star running back Nick Chubb and the starting offensive tackles didn’t play. Coordinator Matt Canada’s offense essentially had one...
Tim Benz: What’s behind the rise in production from the Steelers ground game?
The biggest reason for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ success over the past two weeks has been an uptick in the run game. Through the first seven games of the season, the Steelers averaged 79.7 rushing yards per game and averaged 3.4 yards per carry. In their most recent outings — victories...
Football Footnotes: Kordell Stewart’s advice for Kenny Pickett, thoughts on Matt Canada; Joe Burrow, Mark Andrews injured
In this week’s “Football Footnotes,” former quarterback Kordell Stewart has some advice for Kenny Pickett — and the entire Steelers franchise. There’s some potentially severe injury news coming out of Thursday night’s AFC North battle between the Bengals and Ravens. Plus, we look at the local college scene as the...
First Call: Cleveland rookie QB says Steelers game will be ‘night and day’ difference from 1st start; more Browns injury updates
Friday’s “First Call” finds a confident backup quarterback ready to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cleveland. Both teams have important injuries from earlier in the season they are nursing in advance of Sunday’s rematch. The Penguins are facing a very challenging weekend set of games. And we lay out the...
U mad, bro?: Too much criticism of Mike Tomlin and George Pickens; more grievances from Packers game
Some people think I’m being too hard on Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Others think the media, collectively, is being too hard on wide receiver George Pickens. Still, others take sports writing a little too … hmmm … literally. These are all things we learn in this week’s “U mad,...
First Call: Tricky idea for Browns to address QB issue; injury concerns in Ravens-Bengals; honoring Franco Harris
The Pittsburgh Steelers may not have to worry about this impacting them, but there’s a potential stopgap solution to the quarterback problem in Cleveland. We also examine Thursday night’s primetime AFC North matchup, share an honor for Franco Harris and look at Gerrit Cole’s Cy Young Award. All that in...
First Call: Patrick Peterson’s little jab at Packers after blocked kick; Mike Tomlin on Josh Dobbs’ success
Wednesday’s “First Call” features a little trash talk from Pittsburgh Steelers veteran Patrick Peterson after his blocked kick on Sunday. We get an update on Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin shares his thoughts on the rise of the “Pastronaut” (Josh Dobbs) in Minnesota. Also, a...
Tim Benz: Packers DB says Mike Tomlin ‘influenced the refs’ during controversial call
Understandably, everyone in Green Bay is still mad at Sunday’s NFL officials in the Steelers-Packers game. They didn’t overturn an incomplete forward pass from Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett that was reviewed as a potential turnover. As discovered by SteelersDepot.com, Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon appeared on the USA Today Network’s “Clubhouse...
NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore weighs in on 2 controversial plays from Steelers’ win over Packers
During his weekly appearance on WDVE, NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore (Uniontown/Washington, Pa.) weighed in on two controversial calls from Sunday’s Steelers-Packers game. One play went in favor of the Steelers that perhaps should have been overturned. The other, he believes, was a good call that significantly helped the Packers’...
Tim Benz: Despite negative hysteria or positive hyperbole, Steelers are right where they should be
For all the hyperbole and hysteria over how the Pittsburgh Steelers have performed this year, a funny thing has happened on the way to the second half of the schedule. The Steelers are precisely where they should be. In fact, they’ve even bought themselves a little cushion. Yes, folks, at...
Madden Monday: Steelers’ frequent close wins are ‘mostly just dumb luck’
Like many people who follow the Pittsburgh Steelers, 105.9 The X radio host and TribLIVE columnist Mark Madden is struggling to figure out how the club has gotten itself to 6-3 on the season. After Sunday’s 23-19 win over the Green Bay Packers, Madden is resigned to bemusement at the...
