Got to Category

Tim Benz Columns category, Page 62

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Friday Football Footnotes: Dueling views on Steelers’ chances for a late-season surge
This week’s “Friday Football Footnotes” takes a look at some dueling views on the state of the 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers and Mike Tomlin’s place in it. The team is 5-7 with five games left. It needs to win at least four (or go 3-1-1) to avoid Tomlin’s first losing season...
U mad, bro?: George Pickens’ outburst, Mike Tomlin-fan video, Kasperi Kapanen have Steelers, Penguins fans on tilt
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers getting a second straight win for the first time all year, the temperature is hot in Steelers Nation. Lots of folks are taking heat. George Pickens. Mike Tomlin. Diontae Johnson. Me! Even Kasperi Kapanen of the Penguins is getting dragged. And he just had his best...
Tim Benz: Mike Tomlin’s deaf ear to criticism of George Pickens shows he’s not listening to his quarterbacks either
I’m sure Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin thought he was simply supporting George Pickens by turning a deaf ear to criticism of the rookie wide receiver. But in doing so, Tomlin also turned a blind eye to the needs of rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett. Pickens took some fan and media...
Tim Benz: 12-team college football playoff will solve some complaints, create others
Now that we know what to complain about regarding this year’s College Football Playoff, let’s compare that to what we’ll be griping about in 2024 — when the format expands from four to 12 teams. Oh, because, trust me, we’ll still be complaining. The only question is, will the complaints...
Madden Monday: Back-to-back Steelers wins are ‘not the beginning of a new season’
The Pittsburgh Steelers have their first winning streak of the season. It’s now … well … two games long. But they’ll take it. In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, though, Mark Madden of TribLIVE and 105.9 The X said don’t get too fired up about it. “They are 5-7,” Madden...
Tim Benz: ‘Feats of Strength’ after Steelers stack wins for 1st time this season 
The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting into the holiday spirit with an early gift to all of their fans: an actual winning streak! Back-to-back wins for the first time all year. Mike Tomlin’s team managed to scrape out a 19-16 victory in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon, just six days after the...
Tim Benz: Penguins’ work deep in offensive end biggest reason for comeback victory
For the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night, it was their work beneath the goal line that eventually resulted in pucks crossing it. The Pens came back from a 3-2 third-period deficit to grab a 4-3 decision from the Las Vegas Golden Knights at PPG Paints Arena. Their work beyond the...
Friday Football Footnotes: Falcons’ Cordarrelle Patterson to test Steelers’ shaky kick coverage
Atlanta Falcons return specialist (and second-leading rusher) Cordarrelle Patterson returned to practice Thursday. He was given a rest day Wednesday. That’s unfortunate news for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A rested Patterson sounds like a nightmare scenario for Danny Smith’s special teams unit. The 31-year-old recorded his NFL-record ninth kickoff return touchdown...
Tim Benz: Kenny Pickett identifies significant rookie season challenge — and how he’s handling it
Troy Aikman returned to the same conversation with Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett multiple times throughout the broadcast. During the “Monday Night Football” game between the Steelers and Indianapolis Colts, the ESPN analyst frequently referenced how Pickett had a different take than what the usual rookie QB has to...
U mad, bro: Despite Steelers win, fans still taking shots at Diontae Johnson, Matt Canada, Najee Harris
The Pittsburgh Steelers won a game. Kenny Pickett and the offense actually looked capable. The defense turned in a few clutch plays. And the other team’s coaches were the ones who mangled the clock at the end of the game. I bet you think that means my “U mad, bro?”...
Duquesne’s strong start helping to erase memories of last year’s struggles
In one sense, it’s a sign of real progress for the Duquesne basketball team. In another, it’s a reminder of how far the program needed to come. “It means we (stunk) last year,” coach Keith Dambrot said. “Six wins. What the heck?” No. Six wins don’t sound like a lot....
Tim Benz: Steelers’ depth running backs make case to be trusted again
For months, part of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive agenda has been to get running back Najee Harris in a rhythm. Now the agenda is to keep the run game in rhythm overall, regardless of who is carrying the ball. After back-to-back games with 90-plus yards, Harris appeared to enter Monday’s...
Tim Benz: First quarter grades and a look at calendar produce hazy forecast for Penguins
Every year, hockey outlets love to throw out the stats about how much the season-ending playoff bracket tends to mirror what we see by the time the calendar hits “American Thanksgiving.” That one was for you, Sportsnet and TSN.Ca. Last week, former Penguin Mark Recchi penned a piece as a...
Feats of Strength: Kenny Pickett, reserve running backs, timely defense erase Steelers’ shortcomings in win over Colts
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin did what he needed to do. Maybe better said, he avoided doing what he couldn’t allow himself to do. That would have been losing to the Indianapolis Colts (4-7-1) and their human publicity stunt of an interim head coach, Jeff Saturday. It was just Saturday’s...
Tim Benz: Only 1 storyline will matter coming out of Steelers-Colts
Coming out of their Week 9 bye at 2-6, there was a path toward postseason contention that the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise had walked in the past. In 2013, the team began 2-6 and ended up 8-8, staying alive for the playoffs until the final week of the regular season. By...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans finding it hard to be thankful on Thanksgiving 2022
Covering the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins, you may assume I’m not feeling particularly thankful this Thanksgiving. Au contraire, mon frère! I needed to bang out a super-quick “U mad, bro?” post before scampering off to visit family for the holiday. The Steelers are 3-7. They just blew a second-half lead...
Tim Benz: Mike Tomlin didn’t endorse Bengals’ critiques of his Steelers — but didn’t completely refute them either
The Cincinnati Bengals certainly had a lot to say after they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 37-30 on Sunday. They questioned the depth of the Steelers’ playbook, the extent of Diontae Johnson’s target share and how much one star player was complaining to the officials. On Tuesday, Steelers head coach Mike...
Tim Benz: Concept of Steelers ‘stacking wins’ seems like fiction from a galaxy far, far away
For local football fans, the anticipation of Sunday’s Steelers-Bengals game felt like a scene out of the new Star Wars series “Andor.” Specifically, the one from an episode when everyone on planet Aldhani is looking to the heavens for “The Eye.” It’s a beautiful celestial event that is the equivalent...
Madden Monday on the Steelers’ latest loss: ‘This defense flat out stinks’
Late Sunday night, WPXI-TV ran a poll asking which side of the ball was more disappointing in Sunday’s 37-30 Pittsburgh Steelers loss to the Cincinnati Bengals — the offense or the defense. The correct answer to the question is, obviously, “both.” But since that was not an option, 77% of...
Tim Benz: ‘Airing of Grievances’ after yet another Steelers gut-punch loss
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to get those pigeons back at Acrisure Stadium. Seriously, there were at least 30 of them out there last week. The Pittsburgh Pigeons have the best seat in the house pic.twitter.com/GTkO9qg1tn— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 13, 2022 Maybe if the Steelers had 41 defenders on the...
First Call: Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel pass familiar names on scoring lists; Penguins face challenge from sizzling Jets
It’s a hockey heavy “First Call” for this Friday, as we remember a banner day in Penguins history. We preview the team’s next opponent, who is on fire at the moment. Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel are taking some steps up the historic scoring ladders. Some former Penguins contributed to...
Friday Football Footnotes: Joe Burrow’s advice for Minkah Fitzpatrick, praise for T.J. Watt; NFL moves Bills-Browns game
As the Steelers get ready for a rematch against the Bengals, “Friday Football Footnotes” features some scouting on T.J. Watt from Joe Burrow. The Bengals QB also has advice for Minkah Fitzpatrick. Derrick Henry has tricks on “Thursday Night Football.” We study that venue change for the Browns and Bills....
Tim Benz: How the Steelers can expect the Bengals to get around Ja’Marr Chase’s absence
During the recent bye week, Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin went to the other side of the ball to best illustrate what the return of T.J. Watt could mean to his unit. “I put it similar to a great receiver. If you don’t take care of him and let him...
Tim Benz: Recent increase in sacks not just about Steelers offensive line
While the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line has received praise for improved run blocking since Sunday’s win against the Saints, now the pass blocking has come under scrutiny. For good reason. In both regards. The Steelers are coming off a game in which they ran the ball for a season-high 217...
U mad, bro?: On Kenny Pickett’s development, pass blocking, Bill Cowher’s rant about Jeff Saturday and … the Beatles?
For Thanksgiving, I like variety. Turkey. White meat. Dark meat. Maybe some ham. Mashed potatoes and stuffing. Carrots and peas. Apple and pumpkin pie. Just no sweet potatoes. I hate sweet potatoes. I hate the way they taste. I hate the way they smell. I don’t even wanna look at...


Editor's Picks

Front Porch Theatricals’ musical ‘Baby’ is a labor of love

Washington townhouse on the market for $1,225,000
Folk legend Bruce Cockburn gives uplifting performance at City Winery
‘Champagne & Chapeaux’: Westmoreland Symphony’s annual soiree for a good cause
Jimmy Stewart’s P-51 Mustang stops in hometown for museum anniversary
More Editor's Picks >