Breakfast With Benz category, Page 42
Steelers fans, bettors may not like the new NFL Comeback Player of the Year guidelines
There’s a new framework for how the NFL Comeback Player of the Year is awarded. I expect most Pittsburgh Steelers fans — and bettors — won’t like it. The Associated Press has changed the guidelines of how voting for the annual award should go. Via ProFootballTalk.com, the new language is...
First Call: 2 Steelers lash out at 18-game schedule idea; new RB contract may set bar for Najee Harris; no Maulers return in ’25
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris will definitely take note of a new contract signed by one of his peers in the AFC. Two Steelers defensive backs are lashing out at the idea of an 18-game season. The Pittsburgh Maulers are not coming back into existence just yet. The Pirates...
Tim Benz: Now that the bullpen has caught up to the starters, the Pirates’ hitters need to join the fray
In the final game of their recently completed series against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday, the Pirates plated two runs in the top of the seventh to close out their scoring in what would end up being an 8-2 victory in Denver. Since then, the Pirates have come to bat...
U mad, bro?: As the weather heats up, so do the debates over Mike Tomlin’s extension, the Pirates’ offense
We can complain about the heat in Pittsburgh as much as we want, it’s not going anywhere. That hasn’t stopped us the past few days, though, has it? We can complain about the Pirates’ anemic offense and Mike Tomlin’s playoff drought with the Steelers as much as we want too....
First Call: Patrick Queen’s jab at former Ravens teammate; ex-Steelers WR wants NFL comeback; Metro goalie trades
Patrick Queen’s arrival in Pittsburgh is already adding spice to the Steelers-Ravens rivalry. The Pittsburgh Steelers are advancing plans for a game in Ireland. A former Steelers wide receiver is attempting a comeback. Gerrit Cole made his first Major League start of the year. And teams in the Metropolitan Division...
Actor Ed O’Neill shares story of getting cut by Steelers, memories of Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood
In the latest episode of his “Games with Names” podcast, former New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman interviewed actor and one-time Steeler Ed O’Neill. Before making it big as Al Bundy on Fox’s “Married with Children” or Jay Pritchett on ABC’s “Modern Family,” O’Neill was a football player at Ohio...
Tim Benz: After 1-game stumble, Mitch Keller looks to resume hot streak Wednesday
At the end of April, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller was sitting at 2-3 with an ERA of 5.18. The 2023 All-Star was supposed to be the stabilizing presence within a rotation that was otherwise going to be populated by rookies, a few bargain-bin veterans plucked from other teams,...
First Call: Steelers release a receiver; guess who wants Jake Guentzel?
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” we look at an interesting Pittsburgh Steelers roster move. There’s more fallout from the Brandon Aiyuk drama in San Francisco. A former Steelers receiver is looking for work. A predictable target for Jake Guentzel’s free-agent services has come to light. And the Oilers are still alive...
Paul Skenes’ greatest weapon may be what he brings out in his Pirates teammates
Thus far in Paul Skenes’ Major League career, his highlight starts have largely been on the road. • Pulled with a no-hitter going and 11 strikeouts after six innings at Wrigley Field in Chicago. • Posting nine strikeouts in six innings of three-hit ball at Detroit. • Leaving to a...
Tim Benz: Ignore presumptions to the contrary, Mike Tomlin and Steelers will bask in ‘Hard Knocks’ spotlight
As soon as it was announced that the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to be part of an all-AFC North in-season edition of HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” a wave of predictable responses emerged. ”Uh, oh! Mike Tomlin is going to hate this! All those extra cameras following him and the team around,...
First Call: Brandon Aiyuk says 49ers ‘don’t want me back’; Netflix still seeking partners on Steelers’ Christmas game
Tuesday’s “First Call” has an interesting nugget about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ gameday television broadcast on Christmas against the Chiefs. San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk seems jaded about his current team. Tee Higgins will at least play for Cincinnati on the franchise tag at least this season. We also give...
Tim Benz: Steelers no longer have to coach away from ‘deficiencies’ at inside linebacker
Pittsburgh Steelers draft choice Payton Wilson is already 24 years old. The first-year linebacker spent six years at NC State, redshirting in 2018 and playing parts of the next five seasons with the Wolfpack. So, Wilson has a bit more polish and perspective than the average rookie. That was evident...
Madden Monday: Support of Mike Tomlin’s contract extension means results don’t matter to Steelers
When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ lack of playoff success since 2016, the truth hurts. Well, unless you refuse to hear the truth. And a lot of that has been going on in Pittsburgh since news broke last week about head coach Mike Tomlin’s contract extension through 2027. The...
First Call: Cam Heyward has message for Steelers fans; Antonio Brown has new gripe about old number
Cam Heyward has two messages for Pittsburgh Steelers fans. Antonio Brown has a new ax to grind with the Steelers. An ex-Steeler is arrested for the second time within a month. Gerrit Cole is well on the way to a comeback, and Tyler Glasnow finally gets back in the win...
First Call: Keeanu Benton loses weight; Cory Trice feels good to go for training camp
Friday’s “First Call” has some encouraging Pittsburgh Steelers tidbits on a pair of last year’s rookies as minicamp wraps up. The Pirates head out to Colorado for a weekend series. And a former Pirates relief pitcher who has had a lot of success in 2024 stumbled on Thursday. Benton’s body...
Translating Omar Khan’s quotes about Cam Heyward, Najee Harris, Justin Fields and Steelers WRs
To wrap up minicamp Thursday, Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan conducted an interview on 93.7 The Fan. At times he said a lot without saying very much. Other times he spoke a lot of words without saying anything of substance at all. In other words, Kevin Colbert taught him...
Tim Benz: Diontae Johnson trade can’t miss for Steelers, and Donte Jackson knows it
So far, any word that I can come up with to describe new Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Donte Jackson is a positive one. Bright. Engaging. Friendly. Energetic. Accessible. Confident (without being too cocky). He’s also intelligently self-aware. He knows the situation that he has walked into upon being traded to Pittsburgh....
First Call: Hope for Cole Holcomb at training camp; predictions on Cam Sutton’s suspension; more slot for George Pickens?
Thursday’s “First Call” has tons of minicamp news from Steelers headquarters. Cole Holcomb, Cam Sutton and George Pickens are all focal points of conversation. Plus, we examine Mitch Keller’s recent success for the Pirates. Hope for Holcomb For the first time in a while it sounds like there is some...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans push back on my criticism of Mike Tomlin’s contract extension
Everybody is excited about the Pirates’ pitching situation. The Penguins haven’t had a chance to screw up anything yet this offseason. And, as of now, Pittsburgh doesn’t have a WNBA team. So we’re a few steps removed from all the Caitlin Clark vitriol. As a result, I was a little...
Paul Skenes appreciates standing ovation from St. Louis fans
Paul Skenes appreciated the love he received Tuesday night from St. Louis fans. When the Pirates starter was pulled from the game with one out and a man on second in the seventh inning, he did so to a standing ovation from Cardinals fans. Paul Skenes got a standing ovation...
First Call: Speculation on Mike Tomlin’s contract value; Diontae Johnson wants some respect
Wednesday’s “First Call” has a hunch about what Mike Tomlin is making from the Pittsburgh Steelers on his newest coaching contract. Diontae Johnson is talking himself up in Carolina. And we celebrate another happy Penguins anniversary. What it took We know Mike Tomlin signed a contract extension on Monday to...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ Danny Smith confirms NFL game officials reaching out to coaches over new kickoff rules
There is so much uncertainty about how the NFL’s new kickoff rules are going to play out, that NFL game officials have been informally calling special teams coaches on their own, just to make sure certain interpretations are being viewed the same way between the coaches and the men in...
15 years after winning the 2009 Stanley Cup, Max Talbot recalls Game 7 heroics
Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Tyler Kennedy doesn’t even let the question end. What does he remember about Max Talbot’s game-winning goal in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final in Det… “I was wide (expletive) open,” Kennedy blurted out during a phone call Tuesday evening. On the 15th anniversary...
First Call: Rich Eisen leads national cheers for Mike Tomlin’s extension; Browns’ Nick Chubb may return for Steelers games
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” Mike Tomlin’s contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers is getting a predictable amount of praise from national media circles. An injured Cleveland Browns star may make a return in time to face the Steelers just before Thanksgiving. An ex-Penguin is lighting up the Stanley Cup Final....
Arthur Smith talks around 2 issues facing Steelers offense
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith recently sat down for an interview with Missi Matthews on Steelers.com. The video was posted Monday. He offered two rather quizzical answers to questions people have been asking about the Steelers offense. First of all, Matthews asked Smith if the Steelers might implement a...
