Breakfast With Benz category, Page 79
First Call: JuJu Smith-Schuster describes recruitment to K.C.; predictions for Cam Sutton’s contract; big Super Bowl TV ratings
Tuesday’s “First Call” features some interesting offseason predictions for the Pittsburgh Steelers, including one about Cam Sutton’s future. JuJu Smith-Schuster describes how his recruitment to Kansas City began. The Super Bowl television ratings were gigantic. And the Pitt basketball team looks to stay hot against Boston College. Recruitment revealed Wide...
Tim Benz: Fancy stats prove a simple notion in Chiefs’ Super Bowl win — coach, QB shine en route to victory
Sometimes we oversimplify NFL coverage. We make everything about the coach and the quarterbacks. Sometimes, though, that is the case. And sometimes fancy stats can be used to highlight a simple premise. All that was proven true in Super Bowl LVII as the Kansas City Chiefs outscored the Philadelphia Eagles...
First Call — Super Bowl edition: Where are Terry Bradshaw’s rings? JuJu Smith-Schuster’s fashion; WPIAL star Skyy Moore scoresVideo
In a post-Super Bowl “First Call,” Pittsburgh Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw reveals the whereabouts of his four championship rings. New Kensington product Skyy Moore scores in the Super Bowl. JuJu Smith-Schuster steals the Super Bowl Sunday fashion show. A veteran Baltimore Raven announces that he’ll be back for a 16th...
Madden Monday: After watching the Super Bowl, the Steelers are ‘nowhere close to being in a game like that’
Let’s try to view the results of Sunday’s Super Bowl victory for the Kansas City Chiefs over the Philadelphia Eagles through the lens of what it means for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLIVE offers a rather blunt assessment....
Friday Football Footnotes: Steelers not in the Super Bowl? Here’s how to gamble your way into a rooting interest
It’s another Super Bowl without the Steelers. The 12th in a row, unfortunately. And a clear rooting interest doesn’t seem to exist for Pittsburgh. On one hand, the Kansas City Chiefs are fast becoming the constant goliath out of the AFC. On the other hand, what are you going to...
First Call: NFL experts debate Kenny Pickett’s ceiling; J.J. Watt declares his Steelers fandom; Roger Goodell backs refsVideo
Thursday’s “First Call” features a declaration of Pittsburgh Steelers loyalty from a retired All-Pro. Commissioner Roger Goodell discusses the state of NFL officiating. There are differing opinions on a comparison for Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett. And LeBron James celebrates the 500th win for Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot. Waving the towel...
U mad, bro?: Readers send Valentines on Steelers predictions, Mike Tomlin’s recent record, Ron Hextall’s roster
This is our final “U mad, bro?” before Valentine’s Day. Obviously, Pittsburgh sports fans are feeling the love. Some of you are fawning over Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Others are swooning over Penguins general manager Ron Hextall. And then there are all of you who just can’t get enough of...
Tim Benz: If anyone is happy about ‘hitting the reset button’ for Penguins, it should be Kris Letang
Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was clear in his directive for his struggling players upon their return from the All-Star break. The Penguins limped into their week off by dropping two games in a row and four of six. So Sullivan told his squad to “hit the reset button” before...
First Call: JuJu Smith-Schuster’s food trash talk; Terry Bradshaw still hates ‘dumb’ tag; ex-Steeler pans Super Bowl XLV play calling
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster takes Super Bowl trash talk to a whole new level. We tap into some old emotions from Steelers Super Bowls gone by with Terry Bradshaw and Max Starks. There’s an update on Myles Garrett’s Pro Bowl injury. And we...
Duquesne players look to serve coach Keith Dambrot some more ‘gravy’ with his 500th win
In a way, the ultimate compliment to Keith Dambrot as he approaches 500 college basketball coaching victories came from one of his peers in the Atlantic 10, LaSalle head coach Fran Dunphy. “To be perfectly honest, I’m surprised he doesn’t have it already because of all the great work that...
First Call: Former Steelers coach goes to Patriots; Tom Brady’s future open-ended; big hits, fights between Rangers-Flames
Tuesday’s “First Call” sees a former Pittsburgh Steelers coach return to the NFL after a short stint in college. Tom Brady seems to want to keep all of us guessing. There was madness at the Garden as hockey resumed after the All-Star break. Pitt should be in a good position...
Tim Benz: NFL must listen to Cam Heyward and other defensive players on ‘hip-drop’ penalty consideration
If the NFL just wants to govern itself by Twitter, I hope it follows the account of Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward. Because at least he’s tweeting something reasonable. No, seriously. Someone is actually doing that in 2023. It appears the NFL is strongly considering the elimination of the...
A trade scenario Ron Hextall is looking to avoid and some Penguins history he may want to replicate
While meeting with the media Sunday, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall had to deal with a lot of hypothetical questions. About how the team may create salary-cap room. About how it may approach various methods to make his roster better. About what he is going to do with the...
Madden Monday: Why Ron Hextall ‘shouldn’t trade a 1st-round draft pick under any circumstances’
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall met with the media Sunday, and he was asked about a wide range of topics. He didn’t necessarily answer all of the questions that were asked. At least not directly. But when it came to the idea of trading a first-round pick as a...
First Call: Cam Heyward rips idea of new NFL defensive penalty; Brian Flores is a finalist for Arizona coaching job
Monday’s “First Call” features Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward sounding off against a potential NFL rule that may make life even harder on defensive players. Brian Flores is now a finalist for the Arizona Cardinals coaching job. Myles Garrett got hurt during the Pro Bowl games. And the NHL...
Tim Benz: We keep hearing about ‘volatility’ within Penguins’ performance — now it’s time to fix it
Before the Pittsburgh Penguins left town for the All-Star break, head coach Mike Sullivan did his best to summarize the way his team has been playing. “There’s been volatility in our game. We’ve got to bring a consistent game every night. We’ve got to put a game on the ice...
Friday Football Footnotes: If not for Tom Brady, how many more Super Bowl rings would Steelers have?
Every now and then, Pittsburgh Steelers fans love to put themselves through the exercise of determining how many Super Bowl trophies the franchise would have in its display case if it weren’t for Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. Usually that answer comes back at nine or...
First Call: T.J. Watt sidesteps question on Taylor Lewan; defensive line free agent idea for Steelers; Joe Mixon news
It’s a football-heavy Friday “First Call,” as Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt gives his response to Taylor Lewan’s plea to patch over their past. An intriguing free agent name has been advanced for the Steelers to consider. We also are tracking Joe Mixon’s legal entanglement and the tracking future of...
Tim Benz: Pittsburgh native Jeff Bergman discusses emotions of ending 30-year NFL officiating career in Super Bowl LVII
As young kids playing football in the neighborhoods of Pittsburgh’s North Side, Jeff Bergman and his friends wanted to become “Johnny Unitas — The Pittsburgh kid with the golden arm.” Or any one of the of the region’s many other pro football legends. Instead, he became Jeff Bergman — a...
First Call: Titans player seeks forgiveness for ‘spitting’ at T.J. Watt; Pitt-UNC got tense during and after the gameVideo
If Taylor Lewan really wants to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, he better start making good with one of the franchise’s star players. Tom Brady’s retirement brought some fond memories to mind for a former Steeler. Kurt Warner has fun with a tough anniversary in his career. The Penguins got an...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans sound off about Rashard Mendenhall, critics of Kenny Pickett, NFL officiating, politics in sports
Pittsburgh Steelers fans want to be critical of Rashard Mendenhall, but they don’t want criticism of the team. Ex-officials are analyzing how other ex-officials are criticizing NFL officiating. Readers want journalism without critical analysis. But everyone wants to be critical of me. Just another, typical week for “U mad, bro?”...
First Call: Return of a Heinz Field ketchup bottle; Twitter doubts Tom Brady’s retirement; Calvin Austin III runs againVideo
Wednesday’s “First Call” features a return of an Acrisure Stadium favorite and a potential return to the Pittsburgh Steelers roster. Pitt and Penn State both have big games Wednesday night. Tuesday was an exciting evening in the Metropolitan Division. And some fans are a bit dubious of Tom Brady’s latest...
Tim Benz: Bengals LB Joseph Ossai isn’t acting like a media victim, so let’s stop trying to turn him into one
Fret not for Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Joseph Ossai. He’s been positioned as a media victim by Twitter. It’s the safest, most protected spot in the world. No one can criticize him now. I mean, apparently, no media member can even ask him a question without a “DEFCON 1” online rebuke....
Kenny Pickett ‘snubbed’ for Baltimore’s Tyler Huntley as Pro Bowl replacement — and it’s not going over well in Pittsburgh
Maybe someday, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett will get to a Pro Bowl. He’s a first-round pick. As a rookie, the Pitt grad won six games as a starter after the bye to help the Steelers to a 7-2 record down the stretch. Plus, he only threw one interception during...
NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore breaks down officiating issues from AFC, NFC title gamesVideo
During his weekly “Zebra Talk” segment, former NFL referee turned CBS officiating analyst Gene Steratore joined WDVE Tuesday morning to discuss numerous officiating controversies from this weekend’s AFC and NFC Championship games. • Joe Burrow’s intentional grounding: On Cincinnati’s final possession of the AFC contest, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was...
