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Tim Benz Columns category, Page 97

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Tim Benz: Sabres’ Conor Sheary proves to Penguins that he ‘can still play’
By the middle of the third period, Pittsburgh Penguins fans were booing like they didn’t want to be at PPG Paints Arena anymore. Meanwhile, Conor Sheary was playing like a guy who wanted to be traded back. He scored twice en route to a 3-1 Buffalo Sabres win Thursday night...
Tim Benz: In awful AFC, Steelers not dead yet 
An interesting dynamic is brewing in the AFC. It’s good news for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The dynamic is that, right now, most of the conference is awful. Not just the crummy AFC North. The whole conference has been lousy so far. It’s so bad, even at 1-3, the struggling Steelers...
Tim Benz: Airing of grievances as Steelers win over Bengals far from perfect 
It was nice to finally write about some “Feats of Strength” after the Steelers finally secured their first win of 2019 Monday night over the Bengals, 27-3. But as Mike Tomlin pointed out, it was far from perfect. We “air our grievances,” win or lose, at “Breakfast With Benz.” And...
Tim Benz: Wildcat worked, but let’s hope Steelers don’t have to use it again 
During his weekly press conference, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was gruff, dismissive, generally terse and a bit on edge. Even more so than normal, I mean. It was almost as if his team had fallen to 0-4 against the Cincinnati Bengals as opposed to trouncing them, 27-3, the night...
Tim Benz: Feats of strength from Steelers’ win over Bengals (finally) 
Finally! I almost forgot this was possible. We’ve had three straight “Airing of Grievances” entries to start the 2019 season. I was getting worried we’d never get to post a “Feats of Strength” Steelers postgame column. Hey, that’s why it’s always nice to see the Cincinnati Bengals pop up on...
Madden and Benz Unfiltered: Clint Hurdle’s firing, Steelers-Bengals preview 
The Pittsburgh Pirates made their move Sunday by firing Clint Hurdle, but that can’t be the end of it … can it? Tim Benz and Mark Madden lament the firing of Hurdle and the praised heaped upon general manager Neal Huntington in the wake of a disastrous 2019 season. The...
Tim Benz: Botched firing of Clint Hurdle typical of 2019 Pirates
Given the news cycle of the last week, this may be hard to do. But play along with me if you can. Imagine that the Pirates simply fired Clint Hurdle after the season ended Sunday evening. Hurdle manages Game 162. The franchise gives its sendoff to Steve Blass. The Pirates...
First Call: Antonio Brown gets into Twitter spat with Eric Weddle
Friday’s “First Call” features another Antonio Brown Twitter spat. A major rules change to basketball may be coming. And we’ve found the ugliest sports fan tattoo of all time. Which is to say, we have found the best sports fan tattoo of all time. Cat fight! Former wide receiver Antonio...
Tim Benz: Former WPIAL athlete at the center of the ‘Sexy Mister Rogers’ costume controversy
Is it a beautiful day in your neighborhood? If Dessie Mitcheson is in your neighborhood right now, the answer is most assuredly “yes.” View this post on Instagram @shoptobi A post shared by Dessie Mitcheson (@dessiemitcheson) on Jul 30, 2019 at 10:33am PDT Told ya. However, the former Kiski Area...
Tim Benz: Who are NFL’s legitimate 3-0 and 0-3 teams? 
After three weeks of the 2019 NFL season, some teams have lived up to their offseason hype and are unbeaten. Others are every bit as bad as predicted. Some teams are stunningly 3-0. Others are a dreadfully disappointing 0-3. I think we all know what category includes the Pittsburgh Steelers....
Tim Benz: Steelers’ only hope? That AFC North teams stink worse than they do
It’s said that necessity is the mother of invention. That appears to be especially true if you are inventing optimism. For the most part, that’s what is happening within the Pittsburgh Steelers fan base in 2019, and even within the locker room. In a town that lives, breathes, and eats...
Tim Benz: Steelers game stats are as ugly as their 0-3 record
After a terrible 0-3 start for the Pittsburgh Steelers, fans may be wondering if the team is really as bad as its record. Sadly, it is. If you look deeper at the numbers than just the winless start, the statistics are even worse than you may think. Let’s start with...
Tim Benz: Minkah Fitzpatrick’s Steelers debut was microcosm of debate to acquire him 
If you were looking for crystallization of the entire Minkah Fitzpatrick debate, you got it in his first game as a Pittsburgh Steeler Sunday in San Francisco. If you share my opinion about Fitzpatrick as a player, you saw all the reasons to be happy about the transaction. He was...
Tim Benz: Airing of grievances is overflowing after Steelers’ 3rd loss
The longer the Pittsburgh Steelers’ losing streak continues, the easier it is to come up with our weekly “Airing of Grievances.” Boy, it really has become weekly, hasn’t it? We are long overdue for a “Feats of Strength” post. Maybe that will happen next Tuesday after a Monday night game...
Tim Benz: Feel no shame; wallow in Antonio Brown’s self-imposed misfortune
This was too easy. I almost feel guilty about playing the “I told you so” card. Almost. Gonna leave this here for a while @TribSports @TribLIVE— Tim Benz (@TimBenzPGH) September 20, 2019 Yeah, predicting Antonio Brown’s self-created demise in New England wasn’t exactly a stroke of genius. Especially based...
Why 2-0 49ers might be for real as 0-2 Steelers travel to face them
The Steelers started against the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks with Tom Brady and Russell Wilson at quarterback. The San Francisco 49ers started their season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals with Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton at quarterback. Maybe it shouldn’t surprise us that San...
Tim Benz: You can like Minkah Fitzpatrick but not like Steelers trading for him 
Can you love the acquisition of the player without liking the trade that brings him to town? You applaud the player. Fill a position of need. See the long-term vision of the player’s contract. Appreciate your own club’s gusto to improve the roster at a crucial time. But you hate...
Tim Benz: No, the Steelers don’t need Colin Kaepernick
Before you ask, the answer is “no.” The Pittsburgh Steelers shouldn’t sign Colin Kaepernick now that Ben Roethlisberger is out for the year. What’s that? Oh. We already asked? Ben Roethlisberger is out for the season. Inevitably, Colin Kaepernick's name will come up. Should the #Steelers consider signing him as...
Tim Benz: Antonio Brown adds salt to Steelers wounds 
Talk about salt in the wounds. Actually, this is worse than salt in the wounds. More like lemon juice. Or vinegar. Maybe battery acid. While the Pittsburgh Steelers were losing to the Seattle Seahawks, Antonio Brown was making a positive impact in a New England Patriots’ blowout win over the...
Tim Benz: An angry airing of grievances after Steelers’ loss to Seahawks
History wasn’t on the Steelers’ side heading into their season opener in Foxborough in Week 1. And history repeated itself with a 33-3 loss to the New England Patriots. History was on the Steelers’ side in their home opener against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2. • The Steelers were...
Tim Benz: Penguins rediscovering Evgeni Malkin is bigger than replacing Phil Kessel
There were roughly six months of happy talk about how the Steelers would benefit from addition by subtraction. Subtract Antonio Brown’s shenanigans and Le’Veon Bell’s constant contract uncertainty. Benefit by getting a more harmonious locker room, fewer distractions and game plans that weren’t hindered by needing to pacify egos. Nice...
Tim Benz: Steelers go back to school on defending ’rub routes’
“Jet streaming” and “tailpipe.” Get used to those terms. You’ll be hearing them a lot this week from the Pittsburgh Steelers defenders. And probably a lot during the rest of the season. Maybe the better they perform those techniques, the less you’ll hear these terms: “pick plays,” “rub routes” and...
Tim Benz: Too harsh on Steelers? Not based on what Mike Tomlin said 
Perhaps dealing with a brief crisis of conscience, I asked myself a question Tuesday morning. Have I been too hard on the Pittsburgh Steelers since their ugly 33-3 loss in New England Sunday night? I’ve written, said and posted some pretty critical things. Maybe I should’ve kept in mind that...
Tim Benz: Accusations against Antonio Brown test moral compasses
Quite the ethical conundrum we have here, isn’t it, Pittsburgh? You, too, Boston. Especially you, NFL. What’s it going to be? Are your moral compasses going to be guided by your senses of right and wrong? Or the logo involved? That’s what has been brought into play with the latest,...
Antonio Brown could have been a Seahawk? Imagine his debut against the Steelers
Antonio Brown floating out of Oakland in his hot air balloon over to New England has been a huge story. “Did we just become best friends? YUP” pic.twitter.com/A5gSwiNS68— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 10, 2019 Oh, gross. Make me puke. That element of Brown teaming up with Tom Brady and company...


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