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Tim Benz Columns category, Page 12

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
First Call: Who Big Ben likes more than Mike Tomlin for Coach of the Year; Eagles DB says he was almost a Steeler 
The Philadelphia Eagles head coach is attempting to quell concerns about locker room discord heading into Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A Philadelphia defensive back discloses he almost wound up in Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger has some interesting NFL Coach of the Year thoughts. And the Duquesne men’s basketball team...
Tim Benz: Forget ‘Golden At-Bats.’ Let’s talk ‘Golden Contracts’
I feel as if I should be having some sort of emotional reaction to the New York Mets giving Juan Soto more than three-quarters of a billion dollars over 15 years. I’m not. The baseball fan inside me ought to be screaming about what this means for the state of...
Steelers visit Philly amid Eagles tension following A.J. Brown’s complaints about passing game
As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to visit Philadelphia this weekend, they are hardly walking into the “City of Brotherly Love.” The 11-2 Eagles will welcome the Steelers on Sunday during a nine-game win streak. However, all is not harmonious at the other end of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. After Sunday’s 22-16...
Feats of Strength: Steelers use 2nd-half adjustments, crucial turnovers in revenge-game win over Cleveland
No snow. No Myles Garrett WWE-style trash-talking interviews. No George Pickens dust-ups at the end of the game. No Pickens at all, actually. He was out with a hamstring injury. In other words, Game 2 between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns couldn’t have been more different from Game 1...
First Call: Bill Belichick to the ACC?; Russell Wilson contract theories; Jets’ rumored interest in Arthur Smith
Friday’s “First Call” has some predictions about how the Pittsburgh Steelers may handle their quarterback situation next year. There are rumors about Bill Belichick coaching at the college level and Arthur Smith drawing interest from another NFL team for a head coaching spot. We also examine some quirks in the...
Football Footnotes: 5 key points where Steelers can improve against Browns 
Plenty of things went wrong when the Pittsburgh Steelers visited Cleveland and lost 24-19 on Nov. 21. It’s the team’s only defeat in the past seven outings. After the game, most folks were blaming the coaching staff. Rightfully so. It was a lousy performance. Every 50-50 decision Mike Tomlin and...
First Call: T.J. Watt accused of dirty play and J.J. Watt responds; Pirates could ‘surprise us by landing a solid free-agent bat’ 
There are some on the internet calling Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt a dirty player. His Hall Of Fame-bound big brother isn’t standing for that. The Steelers worked out a former Cleveland Browns defensive lineman in advance of their matchup this weekend. The Pirates may be in the market to...
U mad, bro?: MLB Golden At-Bat idea and Mike Tomlin’s clock management top this week’s long list of complaints
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 9-3 and just put up 44 points en route to beating a hated division rival in their own building. But, along the way, Joey Porter Jr. was flagged for six penalties, Mike Tomlin barely avoided another clock management fiasco, and Major League Baseball is apparently considering...
1st episode of AFC North ‘Hard Knocks’ was heavy on good football, light on conflict and intrigue 
The first episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks: In Season With the AFC North” gave me exactly what I expected. It was a typical NFL Films all-access, behind-the-curtain look at the Pittsburgh Steelers and their three AFC North foes in Cleveland, Baltimore and Cincinnati. It’s shot brilliantly. It’s well-directed and well-produced....
Tim Benz: At 9-3, Mike Tomlin can avoid ‘feeding the beast’ — at least in front of the cameras
There are plenty of good vibes coming out of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 44-38 win in Cincinnati last week, and surrounding their 9-3 record overall. That doesn’t mean there aren’t points of concern heading into this Sunday’s game against the 3-9 Cleveland Browns, though. How is George Pickens going to regulate...
Tim Benz: MLB ‘Golden At-Bat’ idea takes gold medal for stupidity
I’m not one who immediately flushes the idea of change when it comes to the sport of Major League Baseball. By nature, I’m not automatically a stodgy, old-school baseball traditionalist. I embraced the pitch clock and applauded limited checks of runners on base. I initially balked at the wild card....
Like winning 2 games in 1: Steelers’ victory over Bengals may mean even more than you think
On the surface, it’s easy to dilute enthusiasm after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 44-38 win in Cincinnati on Sunday. After all, it came against the meager four-win Bengals and their historically bad defense. But that victory in “The Jungle” was much more than just one checkmark in the win column against...
Madden Monday: Steelers’ win in Cincinnati doesn’t outweigh remaining hurdles
The Pittsburgh Steelers dispatched the Cincinnati Bengals 44-38 Sunday. So that means they’ve managed to win two of their first three AFC North games at the halfway point of their back-loaded divisional schedule. One game each remains against the Bengals, Browns and Ravens — along with contests in Philadelphia and...
Feats of Strength: Russell Wilson’s huge day, key defensive splash plays secure Steelers shootout over Bengals
During the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris had to leave the contest briefly because he didn’t feel well after a run. He blamed himself for eating too much of a dessert made by tight end Pat Freiermuth’s girlfriend during Thanksgiving...
Tim Benz: Whoever points at Arthur Smith for Cleveland loss should point at Mike Tomlin too
CBS NFL insider Jason La Canfora appeared on 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday morning. He made the following statement about Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith based on what unnamed people within the team’s headquarters are telling him. “There’s people in that building looking at Arthur Smith, like, ‘Come on...
First Call: Arthur Smith connected to UNC head coaching job; Ben Roethlisberger has thoughts on George Pickens, Justin Fields
Multiple outlets are tying Arthur Smith’s name to the head coaching job at North Carolina. Ben Roethlisberger shares opinions on George Pickens and Justin Fields after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to Cleveland. Plus, we preview the Penguins’ next opponent. All that in Wednesday’s “First Call.” Is there a check big...
U mad, bro?: A cornucopia of Pittsburgh sports complaints for the Pirates, Steelers, Penguins
As we approach Thanksgiving, there hasn’t been very much to be thankful for in the Pittsburgh sports world lately. The Steelers just lost in Cleveland … again. Pitt’s football team has lost four in a row, and the Penguins are one of the worst teams in the NHL. I suppose...
Baltimore’s ‘MNF’ win concludes a ‘suboptimal’ NFL Week 12 for the Steelers
Week 12 of the NFL season was… how can I put this… less than ideal for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Suboptimal, maybe? How about that? However you want to phrase it, things could’ve gone better. For instance, the Steelers could’ve finally — for a change — beaten the typically rudderless Browns...
Tim Benz: Doomsday predictions for Steelers far-fetched, but worthy of concern
When I first read the statement from CBS’ Adam Schein about the Pittsburgh Steelers, I thought it was a bit hyperbolic. “If everything breaks right, they win two more,” Schein said of the Steelers’ remaining schedule. “I honestly have bad vibes right now when it comes to these Pittsburgh Steelers.”...
First Call: NFL reviewing George Pickens’ scrum in Cleveland; thoughts on Russell Wilson staying in Pittsburgh 
Monday’s “First Call” has some potential fallout from the end of Thursday’s Steelers-Browns game. There’s some forecasting about the future of Pittsburgh’s quarterback position. We preview the “Monday Night Football” game and its implications for the Steelers. And the Duquesne basketball team continues its tournament in the Cayman Islands. League...
Tim Benz: Penguins’ weekend on center stage shows how bad things have gotten
In the not-too-distant past, a pre-Thanksgiving mini-bye for the Steelers would’ve been the perfect time for many Pittsburgh sports fans to shelve their NFL obsessions and take in a little Penguins hockey for a few days. Not only were the Steelers off this past weekend because of their Thursday night...
Madden Monday: ‘We’ll know instantly’ if Steelers’ loss to Browns will result in long-term damages
In the days since the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) fell to the Cleveland Browns (3-8) on Thursday night, many Steelers fans have had the same concern. Was that just one bad night? Or was that a harbinger of things to come? Was that the 2024 version of losing to Washington after...
Football Footnotes: Refs got the ‘illegal touching call’ in Cleveland right; Bengals LB predicting victory over Steelers
Usually, our Friday “Football Footnotes” post previews everything coming up on the local football scene. We’ll still do some of that on both the NFL and college levels this time. But with the Pittsburgh Steelers losing in Cleveland on Thursday night (again), this is more like a Friday “Football Fallout”...
First Call: Browns DB calls George Pickens ‘fake tough guy’ after skirmish; Penguins host best team in NHL 
A Cleveland Browns defensive back is not pleased with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. The Penguins face a stiff test amid an early season slump. The Duquesne men’s basketball team enjoys a pre-Thanksgiving getaway. And the Robert Morris hockey team is heading out to play a true college hockey...
Airing of Grievances: Odd coaching decisions, anemic start, leaky defense means another Steelers loss in Cleveland 
I don’t want to hear the Pittsburgh Steelers’ excuse machine Friday morning. I don’t want to hear about a short week on the road. I don’t want to hear about the weather. I don’t want to hear how tough it is to play in Cleveland. I don’t want to hear...


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