Mark Madden Columns category, Page 40
Mark Madden: Deion Sanders, aka ‘Prime Time,’ ushered in ego-first era
ESPN did a “30 for 30” called “Deion’s Double Play.” It centers on the events of Oct. 11, 1992, when Deion Sanders played an NFL game for the Atlanta Falcons at Miami, then went to Pittsburgh immediately after to suit up for the Atlanta Braves in Game 5 of the...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Tom Brady’s contract shows why salary cap is a sham
Tom Brady reconfigured his contract to ignite the latest barrage of “Tom Brady makes less so his team can win more” propaganda. Like most propaganda, it’s primarily fiction. Brady’s wife is supermodel Gisele Bundchen. She has earned more than a half-billion dollars. Brady has earned $263 million playing football. When...
Mark Madden: Here’s what has to happen for the Penguins to be legit contenders
The Penguins are 16-9-1 and have won four in a row. Can they yet be more than a borderline playoff team? Can they win a playoff series? Can they be a legit Stanley Cup contender? Hey, why not? If Steelers fans can fool themselves, so can Penguins fans. But here’s...
Mark Madden: Penguins need to dominate meetings with Devils, Sabres
Refreshing hockey notes: Maybe someday they can be the lead story on SportsCenter! (OK, probably not.) • The NHL reportedly signed a seven-year national TV contract with ESPN. The NHL is in the final season of its rights deal with NBC, but the league is pursuing multiple carriers (finally) like...
Mark Madden: Despite public outcry, Steelers shouldn’t re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster
Since the turn of the century — which I counted down on the Y2J clock — the Steelers have given a significant second contract to just two receivers: Hines Ward and Antonio Brown. The former is a Super Bowl MVP and not-quite Hall-of-Famer, the latter a generational talent. It very...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Penguins GM Ron Hextall faces tough decisions with personnel moves
Since becoming GM, Ron Hextall has paid what is likely mere lip service to the concept of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ window being open: One more Stanley Cup being attainable with the core three. That’s the part hopeful fans latch onto. But Hextall also has spoken about restocking the system and...
Mark Madden: On 30th anniversary of trade, Ulf Samuelsson remembered as Penguins X-factor
Pro Football Hall of Famer Jack Ham is arguably the greatest outside linebacker of all time, right there with Lawrence Taylor. Ham once told me if New Orleans had drafted him instead of Pittsburgh, no one would have ever heard of him. He’s right. For athletes, it’s about where you...
Mark Madden: Kasperi Kapanen’s effort, scoring a welcome sight in Penguins victory
When Sidney Crosby got put on the NHL’s covid list Tuesday with Philadelphia arriving in Pittsburgh for a three-game series, things looked ominous for the Penguins. A shaky season seemed teetering on the brink despite an 11-8-1 record that was more fluky than decent. But the Penguins stepped up and...
Mark Madden: Jim Rutherford played it right, but Penguins sure could use Marc-Andre Fleury
When you are dealt a bust hand (hard 12-16 — i.e., not including an ace) in blackjack and the dealer shows a 6, you stand. That’s what the odds dictate. You won’t always win. But if you lose, you still made the right play. If you hit and win, you...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Stars like ‘Jumping Johnny’ DeFazio made ‘Studio Wrestling’ must-see TV
Pro wrestling is nationally televised nine hours per week. It’s also seen via pay-per-view, syndicated TV, Twitch, YouTube, streaming and a few even deeper crevices. It’s made for mass consumption. The televised promotions don’t come to your local arena because of covid, but so-called “house shows” were dying out even...
Mark Madden: Penguins could use a player like Tom Wilson
The Penguins have a Tom Wilson problem. Specifically, they don’t have him. They had a reasonably facsimile, Ryan Reaves, for part of the 2017-18 season. Not as good, not as tough, but good enough and tough enough. It remains one of Mike Sullivan’s biggest mistakes as Penguins coach that he...
Mark Madden: Penguins shouldn’t extend contract of struggling Evgeni Malkin
During an accomplishment-saturated 15-year career with the Penguins, Evgeni Malkin has earned the benefit of almost every doubt. You can’t scratch him. You can’t bench him. You can’t demote him. You can’t berate him. Malkin has to remain in the lineup, in the top six, playing his usual 18-19 minutes...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers making it hard for Ben Roethlisberger to return
Three weeks ago, Steelers owner Art Rooney II said there was “work to be done” regarding the adjustment of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s contract to afford a more amenable cap figure than the current charge of $41.25 million for 2021. Roethlisberger responded by saying, “I don’t care about my pay at...
Mark Madden: With milestone looming, an appreciation for Sidney Crosby’s accomplishments
Sidney Crosby will play in NHL game No. 1,000 Saturday night. It’s not the most dynamic milestone: 349 players have hit that mark, many of them to little discernible effect besides showing up. When Crosby plays game No. 1,001, he ties the great Steve Staios. No. 1,003 knots him with...
Mark Madden: Signing J.J. Watt wouldn’t make sense for Steelers
Besides selling “Wattsburgh” T-shirts and seeing all three Watt brothers pose for really cool photos together in black and gold, there isn’t one good reason for the Steelers to sign free-agent defensive end J.J. Watt. It’s the talk of Twitter and radio shows but makes zero sense. The Steelers have...
Mark Madden: It’s been a bumpy path, but there’s been more good than bad for Penguins
The numbers don’t lie. But some of the Penguins’ stats suggest a bit of fibbing by way of dark humor. The Penguins got a two-goal lead for the first time all season in Sunday’s home win over Washington. They scored two empty-net goals to make the final 6-3. That’s just...
Mark Madden Hot Take: Why would Ben Roethlisberger want to return to the Steelers?
Ben Roethlisberger has made $253.2 million in football earnings. So, take the $19 million he’s due if he plays in 2021 out of the equation. Roethlisberger doesn’t need the money. Maurkice Pouncey retired. He and Roethlisberger are tight. Vance McDonald retired. He and Roethlisberger are tight. Alejandro Villanueva will leave...
Mark Madden: Penguins should stick with goalie Casey DeSmith
The Penguins don’t have a goaltending controversy. Well, not unless new GM Ron Hextall thinks he can still play. That might not be a bad idea. Casey DeSmith has to keep playing. That’s beyond debate, at least for now. Tristan Jarry played in last season’s NHL All-Star event. He finished...
Mark Madden: Brian Burke will bring no-nonsense approach to Penguins
Van Halen (David Lee Roth version) had a motto: “W.D.F.A.” We don’t mess around, or words to that effect. Brian Burke, the Penguins’ new president of hockey operations, operates under the same principle. Read his autobiography, “Burke’s Law.” Burke has been involved in hockey management for 34 years. If you...
Mark Madden: Never again doubt Tom Brady, the greatest football player ever
LAS VEGAS — What a rotten Super Bowl. The (slight) favorite fell apart. It was a rout. The old legend exposed the new legend — though Patrick Mahomes was mostly exposed by his thrift-store offensive line. I lost a lot of bets. But Pat McAfee lost $30K on the coin...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Ron Hextall is best choice for Penguins GM, right now
Eyebrows were raised when Chris Drury and Scott Mellanby declined to interview for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ vacant GM job. Drury, 44, is assistant GM for the New York Rangers. Mellanby, 54, has the same job with Montreal. Drury might be the best of up-and-coming NHL executives. If I were Drury...
Mark Madden: Evgeni Malkin’s shot can fix Penguins’ struggling power play
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ power play stinks and is unlikely to be fixed. It ranks 22nd in the NHL with a conversion rate of 13.9%. It won’t always rank that low. It will generate hot streaks based solely on the unit’s talent, which is plentiful. But right now is not one...
Mark Madden: Don’t expect Sidney Crosby to finish his career in Canada
A bunch of Canadian media used their platform to try to wish Sidney Crosby to a Canadian team, speculating that the Penguins and Crosby may (this got said with great gravitas) talk about his future this coming offseason, and what would be Crosby’s likely destination? That “speculation” (read: made-up drivel)...
Mark Madden: They have shortcomings, but Penguins don’t lack effort
The Penguins might cheat you when it comes to certain things. They might cheat you on structure. They might cheat you on goaltending. Evgeni Malkin is cheating you on production. The cataclysmically injured defense corps is getting cheated on luck. But the Penguins are not cheating you when it comes...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Talk of Steelers’ one last shot at Super Bowl is pipe dream
It seems Ben Roethlisberger is going to play in 2021. He’ll extend his contract a few more years but retire after the coming season. He’ll probably convert the $19 million he is due to a signing bonus to spread out the cap hit. He’ll talk center Maurkice Pouncey into playing...
