Breakfast With Benz category, Page 82
Tim Benz: Throwing shade at NFL nothing but poorly directed attempts to invent blame for Damar Hamlin’s collapse
Maybe we just had too hard of a time processing what we had seen when Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during this week’s “Monday Night Football” game. It was inexplicable. It was unprecedented. It was jarring. Acknowledging that we may have been scared by what we saw...
First Call: Ben Roethlisberger’s admission about Kenny Pickett; Harrison, Ward miss Hall of Fame cut; ex-Steeler WR released
Thursday’s “First Call” features high praise from Ben Roethlisberger for his Steelers quarterback successor. A former Steelers wide receiver is back on the market. Two Steelers greats didn’t make the list of Hall of Fame finalists. The Penguins have a lot to copy from Thursday’s opponent. And Duquesne’s women’s team...
U mad, bro?: Fans torn on too much, too little heat on Matt Canada, Kenny Pickett, Steelers’ late-season push
Is Goldilocks actually a Steelers fan? And if so, she seems to email me a lot. Because I’m getting the sense that, with feedback I get, our criticism of the Steelers is, often, too hot. Strangely, it is just as frequently too cold. Will you folks ever let me know...
Tim Benz: Bills sideline reporter shares account of moments before field was cleared after Damar Hamlin’s collapse
In the wake of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s (Pitt/Pittsburgh Central Catholic) cardiac arrest on “Monday Night Football,” football fans are still waiting to hear from those involved about how the events were handled by the NFL. Thus far, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals players and coaches haven’t commented. The...
First Call: Fellow former Pitt player comes through for Damar Hamlin; huge day for Metro Division rivals
Wednesday’s “First Call” features a first-hand account of how a fellow Pitt Panthers alum aided Damar Hamlin’s mother in her time of need. An ESPN analyst had a very odd take on what happened to Hamlin Monday night. The Duquesne men’s basketball team looks to build on its conference home...
Tim Benz: The Winter Classic looked great, until we looked at how and why the Penguins lost
Monday’s Winter Classic hockey game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins looked great on television. Fenway Park was an excellent venue. The ice seemed to hold up. And the game was tight for three periods. Just one problem. The Penguins lost 2-1 and blew a third-period lead in the...
First Call: Myles Garrett says Browns ‘will do do everything in our power’ to keep Steelers out of playoffs; Dolphins QB update
Tuesday’s “First Call” has some fighting words for the Pittsburgh Steelers coming from a familiar voice in Cleveland. Plus, we have the latest on the Miami Dolphins quarterback situation. That’s a story that could significantly impact the Steelers’ playoff chances. We examine the next opponent for the Penguins and their...
Troy Vincent denies NFL initially gave Bills-Bengals 5-minute warmup window after Damar Hamlin’s injury
The injury to Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin gripped the entire sports world Monday night. The city of Pittsburgh, in particular, watched with concern as the former Pitt Panther and Pittsburgh Central Catholic graduate collapsed on the field in Cincinnati after making a tackle of Bengals receiver Tee Higgins....
Madden Monday: Will the Steelers retain Matt Canada and keep the offensive line together?
Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers have kept their playoff hopes alive heading into the final week of the season, maybe it’s time to change our eye level on how they managed to do it. In other words, after a 16-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens to improve to 8-8 on...
First Call: Update on Miami QBs; checking Deshaun Watson’s progress before Steelers game; Winter Classic preview
Part of the path for the Pittsburgh Steelers to make the playoffs is getting a win against the Cleveland Browns and seeing a loss from the Miami Dolphins. In Monday’s “First Call,” we check on the Dolphins’ quarterback situation and how Deshaun Watson is doing under center in Cleveland. We...
Feats of Strength: Another late Kenny Pickett TD drive, Najee Harris’ exploits ‘push’ Steelers to victory in Baltimore
It appears that the Steelers made a whole bunch of New Year’s resolutions in their game against the Baltimore Ravens. They just waited until New Year’s Day was almost over to follow through on them. For a long time, it looked like the Steelers were going to get all the...
Friday Football Footnotes: Beyond stopping the run, here’s everything else the Steelers need to do to beat the Ravens
The analysis of the Baltimore Ravens’ 16-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 11 was pretty simple. Baltimore ran the ball down the throats of the Steelers. To the tune of 215 yards. But Baltimore does that to a lot of teams — with or without Lamar Jackson at...
Tim Benz: Where the Steelers must improve their rush defense against the Ravens
In the week leading up to Round 2 of Steelers-Ravens for this season, one talking point has been abundantly clear in the Steelers locker room: Do better against the Baltimore rushing attack. For good reason. The Ravens trampled the Steelers on the ground last month when the teams met for...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans snap back at criticism of Kenny Pickett and go after Matt Canada, defensive payroll
Apparently, Pittsburgh sports fans want the media members who cover the Steelers to make a few New Year’s resolutions. • Be harder on the Steelers defense. • Be harder on offensive coordinator Matt Canada. • Be nicer to poor Kenny Pickett. That’s the vibe I’m getting anyway. Oh, and one...
Duquesne ready to test pre-conference, home court success on the road in A-10 play
The Duquesne Dukes are set to begin their Atlantic 10 schedule Wednesday night. Their first conference game will be in Dayton at 7 p.m. It’s also the conference debut for the Flyers. Despite incorporating 10 new players into the mix, the Dukes had a very successful non-conference season, winning 10...
Tim Benz: Why Mike Tomlin is so enthusiastic about flexed kickoff vs. Baltimore
Of course, Mike Tomlin is going to hop on a chance to leverage an emotional advantage in his team’s favor. Especially against the Baltimore Ravens. Especially with his franchise’s playoff fate hanging by a thread. When word broke that the Steelers-Ravens game got flexed from a 1 p.m. start into...
First Call: Odds on Brian Flores getting Broncos job; T.J. and Derek Watt react to J.J.’s retirement
Wednesday’s “First Call” has the odds on Pittsburgh Steelers assistant Brian Flores landing the Denver Broncos’ head coaching job. A former Steelers rival is getting a coaching position in the college ranks. Steelers players T.J. and Derek Watt are reacting to their brother J.J.’s retirement. We also preview the Penguins’...
Tim Benz: Penguins must make most of crucial schedule grind through Winter Classic
After his team’s 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers last week, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan downplayed a question wondering if he felt the game had some playoff vibes to it. “I don’t know that I’d go that far. I’d like to think our playoff hockey is a lot...
First Call: Steelers’ playoff chances shrink after MNF result; Ravens unclear on Lamar Jackson’s healthVideo
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ slim playoff chances were hurt during “Monday Night Football.” The Ravens aren’t tipping their hand about who will play quarterback when the Steelers visit Baltimore on Sunday night. One of the Ravens isn’t thrilled about that game being flexed. And the Penguins get ready to renew acquaintances...
Madden Monday: ‘I just don’t see the progress’ after narrow win against Raiders
It’s really not that hard to break down the Steelers-Raiders game that took place on Christmas Eve. The Las Vegas Raiders had a dominant drive to start the game. The Pittsburgh Steelers had a dominant drive to end the game. In between, the Steelers won 6-3. That’s it. That’s the...
Feats of Strength: Dormant Steelers offense delivers late; defense responds to bad start
Hey, the Steelers’ win over the Raiders in the Immaculate Reception game wasn’t exactly a thing of beauty either, was it? That game was 13-7 Steelers on Dec. 23, 1972. And they looked to be in trouble until the very end. The game between the clubs on Christmas Eve 2022...
Tim Benz: Flowers for Franco
For almost 50 years, it has been easy to link Steelers legend Franco Harris with former Pirates great Willie Stargell. During the 1970s, they were Western Pennsylvania icons who were largely responsible for turning Pittsburgh into the epicenter of the pro sports world. The prowess of their careers churned along...
Friday Football Footnotes: A Christmas shopping list for Steelers as they look to beat the RaidersVideo
It hasn’t been pretty for the Pittsburgh Steelers lately when it comes to facing the Raiders. The Black and Gold can only boast two wins since 2006 against the Silver and Black. Neither team’s record is pretty either. Both clubs are 6-8 and barely have pulses when it comes to...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans are right to be mad at Marcus Allen, and they’re letting him hear it — Mike Tomlin, Pirates too
So “U mad, bro?” is a day late. And you are mad about that. The Steelers are 6-8, and you are mad about that. Marcus Allen is drawing penalties for wandering into the other team’s huddle and you are all really mad about that. I mean, you should see all...
Pitt basketball alum Curtis Aiken recalls friendship with Franco Harris, how he’d want to be remembered
Pitt basketball alum Curtis Aiken was supposed to see his friend Franco Harris on Thursday — a day in advance of celebrations to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Steelers legend’s “Immaculate Reception.” On Tuesday, Aiken was on the phone with Harris’ wife, Dana Dokmanovich. Aiken could hear the NFL...
