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Tim Benz Columns category, Page 88

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Tim Benz: Steelers defensive turnaround keys ‘Airing of Grievances/Feats of Strength’ after comeback over Houston
I think we’ve all gotten used to this “Tale of Two Halves” story with the Steelers offense over the first two weeks of the 2020 season. And it worked to the tune of victories over the New York Giants and Denver Broncos. In Week 1, the offense was sputtering for...
Texans coping with DeAndre Hopkins’ absence same way Steelers are moving on from Antonio Brown
This team had a generational talent at wide receiver who was suddenly traded during the offseason. Now that franchise is trying to figure out if any of the other receivers on the roster are capable of being a legit No.1 target. No, I’m not flashing back to the 2019 Pittsburgh...
Tim Benz: ‘Feats of Strength/Airing of Grievances’ after Steelers barely hang on to beat Broncos
Steelers fans weren’t allowed in the stands at Heinz Field on Sunday. Yet, somehow, I could sense 68,000 Pittsburghers simultaneously tensing up during the second half against the Denver Broncos. In my mind’s eye, I could see the Terrible Towels being thrown to the ground. I could hear the screams...
The long, strange football history of Pitt-Syracuse. And it’s getting odder by the year.
Saturday marks the 75th college football game between Pitt and Syracuse. And one word sums up the history of this series. Weird. It’s one of the strangest, goofiest rivalries in terms of historical trends that you will find. Just look at Syracuse’s three most recent trips to Heinz Field. 2020...
Tim Benz: Mixed start for JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner redemption tour
Since Ben Roethlisberger was coming back to lead the Steelers offense in 2020, that was going to be good for everybody. Especially wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back James Conner. That was the preseason theory, right? Those two Pro Bowlers from 2018 regressed dramatically without Roethlisberger in the lineup...
Tim Benz: First 2020 ‘Airing of Grievances/Feats of Strength’ after Steelers beat Giants
I know that 2020 has taken away some of our most beloved traditions. Thankfully, not Steelers football. At least it’s still on television, even if you can’t go to the games. And because the Steelers are playing, you get to continue enjoying our favorite Steelers postgame tradition here at “Breakfast...
Fantasy sports podcast: Game 1 paying off some hype. Renewed faith in Steelers’ James Conner?
If Game 1 of the NFL season is any indication, a lot of offseason fantasy league hype about certain skill position players is about to come true quickly. The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs beat the Houston Texans, 34-20, in the Thursday night league opener. Rookie running back...
Giants could offer Week 1 problems for Steelers’ reconfigured offensive line
If the Steelers are searching to find a litmus test for their revamped offensive line, they could do worse than starting the season against the New York Giants. In 2019, only two NFL teams — the Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins — allowed more points per game than the Giants...
First Call: Myles Garrett’s ridiculous quotes about ‘clearing the air’ with Mason Rudolph
Thursday’s “First Call” features some insane statements from Cleveland Browns defensive star Myles Garrett regarding his 2019 helmet incident with Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph. Also, a look at some Penguins priorities for the offseason, Steelers Super Bowl odds and a potential Steelers threat in Week 2 might be out of...
Tim Benz: Cameron Heyward follows Steelers legacy of Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith. Now he’ll try try to outlast it.
There are multiple reasons why the Pittsburgh Steelers reworked the contract of defensive end Cameron Heyward to the tune of $75.1 million between now and the end of the 2024 season. He’s an All-Pro. He’s a stabilizing locker room influence in an unstable time. He’s a tremendous fan, media and...
Tim Benz: Are Pirates ‘building or rebuilding?’ There’s no difference and it doesn’t matter.
Getting mad at the Pirates is a pretty common thing to do in Pittsburgh. It has been for most of the past three decades. Sometimes we just do it out of habit. And not for the right reasons. Don’t get me wrong. At 10-23, there are plenty of reasons to...
Tim Benz: Pirates’ inactivity at 2020 trade deadline – I can’t even fake a reaction
I got nuthin’. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington gave us nothing in terms of trades before Monday’s deadline. So I’ve got nothing in terms of a response. I can fake it if you want. I can gin up some faux outrage over front office inactivity. Or I can dial up...
Tim Benz: Steelers lineman Stefen Wisniewski deserves praise for his team-first approach
If new Steelers guard Stefen Wisniewski misses any time during training camp with an undisclosed “upper body injury,” I’m going to assume it’s a badly bitten tongue. Because for a guy who has a right to complain, he sure isn’t saying anything. The Penn State and Central Catholic alum signed...
Will the Giants play their opener against the Steelers? Saquon Barkley won’t rule out boycotts.
Of course, Steelers fans want to get off to a 1-0 start against the New York Giants. They don’t want it to happen this way, though. On Thursday, New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley said he and his teammates aren’t ruling out the possibility of boycotting games this...
TribLIVE TV columnist Rob Owen on sports ratings, new ‘MNF’ crew, T.J. Watt’s show, Mike Milbury and Thom Brennaman
Thursday marks the debut post at TribLive for “TV Talk” columnist Rob Owen. During his 22 years covering the television and media scene in Pittsburgh, Owen was a frequent guest of mine on radio. And he makes our “Breakfast With Benz” podcast debut here today to talk about his new...
Tim Benz: Are Steelers doing the right thing at right tackle? T.J. Watt may help decide.
How are those new right tackles looking for the Steelers? Um, hard to say. They are going against outside linebacker T.J. Watt all the time in practice. After an AFC-leading 14.5 sacks last year, Watt is providing baptism by fire for Chuks Okorafor and Zach Banner as they battle for...
Tim Benz: If this is really the Steelers approach with Minkah Fitzpatrick, it’s the right one
On Monday, All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was asked whether the long-discussed theory of moving him to various places in the Steelers defense was going to materialize in 2020. “I don’t really see myself moving around a whole lot,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think last year we were successful with what we...
Tim Benz: One thing needs to be found in an otherwise lost Pirates season
In a season gone this wrong for the Pittsburgh Pirates, at least one thing needs to get right. Perhaps it started to happen this past weekend. The Pirates’ 5-4 win Sunday afternoon at PNC Park completed a three-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers. They scored 24 runs in three days....
Tim Benz: September Mourn! Steelers need to get off to faster start in 2020
Here’s one way the Steelers need to get better in 2020. And no, this has nothing to do with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returning. Because he’s been on the field for much of this problem in recent years. The issue is starting better in September. The Steelers’ failure to win a...
Tim Benz: Sports sees competitive flattening in restarts. Will the NFL? If so, could we tell?
No one needs to float this idea past Pittsburgh Penguins fans. They’ve already gotten the message. But one trend is becoming noticeable in the coronavirus-era rebooted sports world. Reformatted training camps, empty stadiums, herky-jerky schedules and covid-19-related absences have heightened competitive balance within the leagues. The playing field is a...
Tim Benz: Wide mix of reasons for widely mixed results of sports TV ratings since restarts
On Monday afternoon, I visited five websites to track how sports on television ratings were tracking amid the pandemic restarts. I got four different answers. Monday’s news from NBC was that the first two days of the Stanley Cup Playoffs official first round “averaged 620,000 viewers across NBC Sports’ TV...
Tim Benz: Pittsburgh sports history shows how long a full Penguins rebuild may take
The Penguins have already successfully pulled off a mini-rebuild within their current era of championship success. What’s now being called the “core three” of the Penguins team — Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin — used to have a much broader membership. The perception was that “core” also used to...
Former Pirate, WPIAL star Neil Walker dusts off skills in emergency MLB pitching debut
Neil Walker completed his WPIAL career at Pine-Richland High School as one of the best athletes in Western Pennsylvania history. He was a three-sport star with the Rams (football, baseball, basketball), playing multiple positions along the way. Walker emerged as one of the best baseball prospects in the country as...
First Call: ‘Pacman’ Jones now suspects Joey Porter in Steelers jersey shipment; big challenge for ‘Big Ben’ Roethlisberger
Friday’s “First Call” features developments on Adam “Pacman” Jones versus Steelers cornerback Joe Haden and a big challenge for “Big Ben” Roethlisberger. Montreal Canadiens coach Claude Julien has a health scare, and another MLB pitcher gets ejected from the stands for arguing balls and strikes. • • • Joe vs....
Tim Benz: Gov. Wolf’s latest high school sports quotes are even more absurd and dismissive than last week’s
Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf made an out-of-nowhere recommendation that scholastic sports be postponed until at least Jan. 1. The PIAA didn’t know that statement was coming. Wolf provided no context for how his office came to that decision. And he put forth no explanation for the logic behind the...


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