Breakfast With Benz category, Page 38
U mad, bro?: Fans are peeved over Pirates’ ineptitude, torn over Steelers quarterbacks, alarmed by preseason offense
On July 22, Pittsburgh was pumped up about Steelers training camp starting in two days, and the fact that the Pirates were a half-game out of a wild-card slot. Exactly one month later Pittsburghers are doubting the Steelers offense, longing for Kenny Pickett and ready to turn off Pirates games...
Tim Benz: If Broderick Jones is hurt, that’s concerning for the Steelers. But it may be even more concerning if he isn’t
Many are wondering if Broderick Jones’ poor performance against the Buffalo Bills during Saturday’s 9-3 preseason loss is the result of an elbow injury he sustained in training camp. Or, at the very least, if it was a byproduct of the brace he is wearing on his arm to deal...
First Call: Progress toward extension with 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk; Steelers ownership news; Pro Bowl predictions
Wednesday’s “First Call” has some news about Pittsburgh Steelers ownership. We learn about the latest from San Francisco concerning Brandon Aiyuk. And we get a prediction on a first-time Steelers Pro Bowler. Plus, a former Steelers assistant coach responds to some stinging criticism. Getting close to the end? At this...
You may not fully believe what Carmelo Anthony said about his U.S. gold medals. But wouldn’t you like to?Video
The necessary disclosure for this column is that, as a Syracuse University graduate, I’m predisposed to stick up for Carmelo Anthony on just about all fronts. He arrived on campus a few years after I graduated and finally won an NCAA basketball championship for our school during his freshman season....
Tim Benz: Some Steelers’ offensive issues can be pinned on rust, others are much bigger
A lot of Pittsburgh Steelers fans are swaddling themselves in intellectual inconsistency right now. The Steelers’ offense has looked terrible during the first two preseason games. Therefore, the fan base is falling back on the old adage that NFL preseason results mean nothing. Meanwhile, a year ago, when Kenny Pickett...
First Call: Bill Cowher and Bill Belichick on Steelers’ QBs; Steelers’ Brandon Aiyuk offer influenced 49ers
Bill Cowher and Bill Belichick are both weighing in on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive woes in the preseason. We have a new angle to the Brandon Aiyuk contract negotiations. And the Pirates and Rangers are at a mutual breaking point in Texas. All that to come in Tuesday’s “First Call.”...
First Call: Latest on what Steelers are willing to give 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk; Mason Rudolph’s comeback win for Titans
Monday’s “First Call” has the latest scuttlebutt coming out of San Francisco about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ level of interest in 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk. One ex-Steeler was a standout in a preseason game, another has been released, and a third is retiring at a young age. Plus, we preview the...
Tim Benz: Ben Cherington is living in 2 worlds at once when it comes to Oneil Cruz’s future at shortstop
At least Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington acknowledged it at one point during his weekly 93.7 The Fan radio show. “I’m not answering your question,” Cherington admitted Sunday as he tried to segue between multiple points during an answer that lasted almost four minutes. The extended response came after...
Madden Monday: With Steelers’ 0-2 preseason start ‘there’s every possibility this team could stink’
It may only be August, but Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLive has some alarms going off about the Pittsburgh Steelers. So far, the team has lost both of its preseason games and has scored just 15 points over eight quarters. “There’s every possibility this team could stink,”...
Feats of Strength, Airing of Grievances as Steelers offense sputters during Russell Wilson’s preseason debutVideo
Pittsburgh football fans have been waiting for months to see Russell Wilson in a Steelers uniform at Acrisure Stadium. Maybe the next time they see him, he’ll actually lead a scoring drive. No, the Steelers’ shortcomings on offense certainly weren’t all Wilson’s fault, as the team’s first unit stumbled through...
First Call: Reviewing Kenny Pickett’s game vs. Patriots; Pitt products Damar Hamlin, Ben DiNucci return to Acrisure
Friday’s “First Call” takes a look at former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett’s latest outing in New England. We check out a pair of Buffalo Bills with Pittsburgh roots coming back to Acrisure Stadium to face the Steelers. Another familiar name to Steelers fans has been removed from Buffalo’s roster...
Mitch Trubisky opens up about his time with Steelers and group chat with Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph
While speaking with reporters at Acrisure Stadium on Thursday, Mitch Trubisky revealed that he has a consistent three-person group chat with fellow former Steelers quarterbacks Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph. “I talk to them every week,” Trubisky said after his Buffalo Bills concluded a joint practice with the Steelers. “They...
Tim Benz: We know the Pirates are finished. But what we don’t know is even worse
The Pittsburgh Pirates are cooked for the rest of the 2024 season. They’ve lost 10 in a row. They’ve sunk to eight games under .500 (56-64). They are in the basement of the National League Central. They are 7½ games out of the last Wild Card spot with six teams...
U mad, bro?: Fans push back against a Steelers trade for Brandon Aiyuk; Pirates, Oneil Cruz take heat
When the demise of the Pirates’ season meets the ascent of the Steelers’ season, a beautiful nexus of Pittsburgh sports fan animus, angst and agitation coalesces. It’s like seeing a Black and Gold double rainbow. Or the Northern Lights over the West End Bridge. Or a unicorn with a hypocycloid...
First Call: Retired Steelers rival rips Justin Fields; Steelers’ Week 1 opponent gets Pro Bowl pass-rush boost
To the surprise of no one, Bart Scott is taking jabs at the Pittsburgh Steelers on television again. This time, he is going after one of the team’s quarterbacks. A former Steeler defensive lineman keeps finding work. The Steelers’ Week 1 opponent just got a Pro Bowl jolt on defense....
Tim Benz: An early tinfoil hat conspiracy theory for the new kickoff rule
Here’s a warning for fans attending NFL games this year. The new kickoff format looks really weird in person. Not bad. Just … weird. Watching the new kickoffs on television or via video clips, the change wasn’t all that jarring to me. However, when you are in a stadium, and...
Tim Benz: I’m not upset at what Derek Shelton said about the Pirates, I’m just upset he keeps having to say it
Given this month’s collapse of the Pittsburgh Pirates, many people were put off by what manager Derek Shelton had to say Tuesday during his most recent weekly radio show. Speaking about his team’s extended losing streak, Shelton tried to tamp down their recent troubles by pointing out how many one-run...
First Call: 49ers making late push to extend Brandon Aiyuk; injured Chase Claypool’s spot filled by another ex-Steeler in Buffalo
Wednesday’s “First Call” attempts to surf through the Brandon Aiyuk saga and whether or not he is going to become a Pittsburgh Steeler. We also get into a messy wide receiver situation in Cincinnati. The Steelers are making moves at that position down the depth chart. The Bills are bringing...
Tim Benz: Wasted Jake Woodford start is latest example of how it’s gone so wrong, so fast for Pirates
It was the kind of start that the Pittsburgh Pirates got so often over the first four months of the season. The kind of start from a pitcher that was good enough to overcome whatever struggles the offense, bullpen or defense had been going through at the time. And it...
First Call: Former Pitt QB joins Bills before practices against Steelers; Martavis Bryant gets another workout
Tuesday’s “First Call” has news of a former Pitt Panther suiting up with the Buffalo Bills in advance of their joint practice with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday. An NFC team is taking a second look at former Steeler Martavis Bryant. There is some health news surrounding Cleveland Browns quarterback...
Steelers’ financial offer to Brandon Aiyuk reported; Arthur Smith discusses team’s WR position
Albert Breer of SI.com has the Pittsburgh Steelers’ contract offer to San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. “The Steelers’ offer was around (the) $28 million per year that several other receivers (DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Amon-Ra St. Brown) got this offseason,” Breer reported Monday. Keep in mind that Aiyuk...
How Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Josh Dobbs performed in their debuts with new teams this weekend
As Pittsburgh got its first look at Justin Fields in a Steelers uniform Friday night, local fans also saw some very familiar faces at quarterback with their new teams over the weekend. Kenny Pickett made his preseason debut with the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday night. Meanwhile, ex-Steelers Mason Rudolph and...
First Call: Kirk Cousins declares himself ready for Week 1 vs. Steelers; why JuJu Smith-Schuster was let goVideo
Monday’s “First Call” has an update on Kirk Cousins’ status as he gets set to face the Pittsburgh Steelers with the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1. There’s some news about Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson too. Plus, a former Steeler signs with the Baltimore Ravens, and we get an explanation...
Madden Monday: Stalled Brandon Aiyuk trade typical of Steelers because they seek reasons to avoid big deals
As we all wait for a resolution to the Brandon Aiyuk trade drama, during this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X is starting to wonder if maybe the Pittsburgh Steelers just got played. After all, if a trade was going to happen for the...
‘Feats of Strength/Airing of Grievances’ after Steelers’ scattered loss in preseason opener
If anyone is looking for a way to positively spin the performance of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-team offense in the preseason opener, look at it this way: In last year’s preseason debut, Kenny Pickett marched the first team right down the throats of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the opening...
