Breakfast With Benz category, Page 83
Tim Benz: Steelers finished strong in ’22, but their trend of awful starts needs to change
The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2022 season winning seven of nine games. As a result, some NFL fans and media members are lobbying for Mike Tomlin to win Coach of the Year. That’s ridiculous. Tomlin had a squad that was 9-7-1 last year and lost in the first round of...
First Call: Ben Roethlisberger wants this Steelers TE to get more involved; Ravens keep Roquan Smith; crazy night in Metro
Ben Roethlisberger wants a certain Pittsburgh Steelers pass catcher to have an increased role next season. Former Steeler James Washington may have a new home soon. Tuesday night was on tilt in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division. Pitt and Duquesne are both on the men’s basketball stage Wednesday. And the Baltimore...
CBS NFL rules analyst on Cam Heyward’s roughing-the-passer call vs. Browns: ‘It was an overreaction’
During his weekly “Zebra Talk” segment on WDVE, CBS NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore described Sunday’s controversial roughing-the-passer penalty against Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward as an “overreaction.” The penalty against Heyward came on a second down at the Pittsburgh 11-yard line. Heyward appeared to simply tackle Deshaun Watson as...
First Call: Mike Tomlin calms talk about Cam Heyward’s status; Terrell Edmunds ponders ‘package deal’ with brother
Tuesday’s “First Call” checks on the future of Pittsburgh Steelers star Cameron Heyward. We also get an update on the NFL’s Edmunds brothers and their plans. Gambling odds are already set for next year’s college football national championship game. The Penguins have a pair of tricky Western Conference teams coming...
Tim Benz: For Steelers, the ‘standard’ is now … pretty standard
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a 9-8 team in a league that wants everybody to be 9-8. There are 32 teams in the NFL, and 16 of them finished with win totals between seven and nine games. There are 16 teams in the American Football Conference. The Steelers finished eighth, one...
Madden Monday: Reflecting on Steelers in 2022 — ‘I just don’t see it as a successful season’
The Pittsburgh Steelers ended the 2022 regular season in what has become very routine territory for them of late. At 9-8, they are .500-ish. This year that’s not good enough to make the playoffs. Last year 9-7-1 was barely good enough to qualify. All too familiar is the fact that...
First Call: Steelers get top pick in 2nd round; Watt brothers honor J.J.; Bengals mock NFL’s coin-flip idea
Monday’s “First Call” sees the Steelers’ draft fortunes improve. Derek and T.J. Watt reach out from Pittsburgh to support their retiring big brother in Arizona. We have AFC playoff odds. The Cincinnati Bengals make fun of the NFL’s coin-flip idea. And Jets coach Robert Saleh apologizes to (almost) everybody for...
Feats of Strength: Some individual applause for beating Browns, but big picture grievances as Steelers miss playoffs
Our biggest grievance this week is that this will be our final “Airing of Grievances” for the 2022-23 season. That’s because the Steelers didn’t get all the help they needed to qualify for the playoffs, despite beating the Cleveland Browns, 28-14, at Acrisure Stadium Sunday. But that’s not entirely true,...
Friday Football Footnotes: Problems with the tweaked AFC playoff proposals; a Jets injury that may impact Steelers
This week’s “Friday Football Footnotes” takes a look at a dent in the Steelers’ playoff hopes. Plus, we examine the tangled web of playoff scenarios the NFL is creating by canceling the Bengals-Bills game. We also look at the long-term ramifications of an in-season rules change and maybe some unintended...
Tim Benz: Throwing shade at NFL nothing but poorly directed attempts to invent blame for Damar Hamlin’s collapse
Maybe we just had too hard of a time processing what we had seen when Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during this week’s “Monday Night Football” game. It was inexplicable. It was unprecedented. It was jarring. Acknowledging that we may have been scared by what we saw...
First Call: Ben Roethlisberger’s admission about Kenny Pickett; Harrison, Ward miss Hall of Fame cut; ex-Steeler WR released
Thursday’s “First Call” features high praise from Ben Roethlisberger for his Steelers quarterback successor. A former Steelers wide receiver is back on the market. Two Steelers greats didn’t make the list of Hall of Fame finalists. The Penguins have a lot to copy from Thursday’s opponent. And Duquesne’s women’s team...
U mad, bro?: Fans torn on too much, too little heat on Matt Canada, Kenny Pickett, Steelers’ late-season push
Is Goldilocks actually a Steelers fan? And if so, she seems to email me a lot. Because I’m getting the sense that, with feedback I get, our criticism of the Steelers is, often, too hot. Strangely, it is just as frequently too cold. Will you folks ever let me know...
Tim Benz: Bills sideline reporter shares account of moments before field was cleared after Damar Hamlin’s collapse
In the wake of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s (Pitt/Pittsburgh Central Catholic) cardiac arrest on “Monday Night Football,” football fans are still waiting to hear from those involved about how the events were handled by the NFL. Thus far, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals players and coaches haven’t commented. The...
First Call: Fellow former Pitt player comes through for Damar Hamlin; huge day for Metro Division rivals
Wednesday’s “First Call” features a first-hand account of how a fellow Pitt Panthers alum aided Damar Hamlin’s mother in her time of need. An ESPN analyst had a very odd take on what happened to Hamlin Monday night. The Duquesne men’s basketball team looks to build on its conference home...
Tim Benz: The Winter Classic looked great, until we looked at how and why the Penguins lost
Monday’s Winter Classic hockey game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins looked great on television. Fenway Park was an excellent venue. The ice seemed to hold up. And the game was tight for three periods. Just one problem. The Penguins lost 2-1 and blew a third-period lead in the...
First Call: Myles Garrett says Browns ‘will do do everything in our power’ to keep Steelers out of playoffs; Dolphins QB update
Tuesday’s “First Call” has some fighting words for the Pittsburgh Steelers coming from a familiar voice in Cleveland. Plus, we have the latest on the Miami Dolphins quarterback situation. That’s a story that could significantly impact the Steelers’ playoff chances. We examine the next opponent for the Penguins and their...
Troy Vincent denies NFL initially gave Bills-Bengals 5-minute warmup window after Damar Hamlin’s injury
The injury to Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin gripped the entire sports world Monday night. The city of Pittsburgh, in particular, watched with concern as the former Pitt Panther and Pittsburgh Central Catholic graduate collapsed on the field in Cincinnati after making a tackle of Bengals receiver Tee Higgins....
Madden Monday: Will the Steelers retain Matt Canada and keep the offensive line together?
Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers have kept their playoff hopes alive heading into the final week of the season, maybe it’s time to change our eye level on how they managed to do it. In other words, after a 16-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens to improve to 8-8 on...
First Call: Update on Miami QBs; checking Deshaun Watson’s progress before Steelers game; Winter Classic preview
Part of the path for the Pittsburgh Steelers to make the playoffs is getting a win against the Cleveland Browns and seeing a loss from the Miami Dolphins. In Monday’s “First Call,” we check on the Dolphins’ quarterback situation and how Deshaun Watson is doing under center in Cleveland. We...
Feats of Strength: Another late Kenny Pickett TD drive, Najee Harris’ exploits ‘push’ Steelers to victory in Baltimore
It appears that the Steelers made a whole bunch of New Year’s resolutions in their game against the Baltimore Ravens. They just waited until New Year’s Day was almost over to follow through on them. For a long time, it looked like the Steelers were going to get all the...
Friday Football Footnotes: Beyond stopping the run, here’s everything else the Steelers need to do to beat the Ravens
The analysis of the Baltimore Ravens’ 16-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 11 was pretty simple. Baltimore ran the ball down the throats of the Steelers. To the tune of 215 yards. But Baltimore does that to a lot of teams — with or without Lamar Jackson at...
Tim Benz: Where the Steelers must improve their rush defense against the Ravens
In the week leading up to Round 2 of Steelers-Ravens for this season, one talking point has been abundantly clear in the Steelers locker room: Do better against the Baltimore rushing attack. For good reason. The Ravens trampled the Steelers on the ground last month when the teams met for...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans snap back at criticism of Kenny Pickett and go after Matt Canada, defensive payroll
Apparently, Pittsburgh sports fans want the media members who cover the Steelers to make a few New Year’s resolutions. • Be harder on the Steelers defense. • Be harder on offensive coordinator Matt Canada. • Be nicer to poor Kenny Pickett. That’s the vibe I’m getting anyway. Oh, and one...
Duquesne ready to test pre-conference, home court success on the road in A-10 play
The Duquesne Dukes are set to begin their Atlantic 10 schedule Wednesday night. Their first conference game will be in Dayton at 7 p.m. It’s also the conference debut for the Flyers. Despite incorporating 10 new players into the mix, the Dukes had a very successful non-conference season, winning 10...
Tim Benz: Why Mike Tomlin is so enthusiastic about flexed kickoff vs. Baltimore
Of course, Mike Tomlin is going to hop on a chance to leverage an emotional advantage in his team’s favor. Especially against the Baltimore Ravens. Especially with his franchise’s playoff fate hanging by a thread. When word broke that the Steelers-Ravens game got flexed from a 1 p.m. start into...
