Breakfast With Benz category, Page 84
First Call: Hazy prognosis for Lamar Jackson’s knee before Steelers game; potential Bryan Reynolds trade targets
Monday’s “First Call” has John Harbaugh’s murky forecast for Lamar Jackson as “Steelers week” looms in Baltimore. A former Penn State standout stars in the NFC East. So does a former WPIAL great. Plus, we give you some Bryan Reynolds trade talk, and we consider Meg McConnell’s latest accomplishment at...
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...
First Call: Lamar Jackson health update as Steelers game nears; Penguins host ‘streaky’ Blues; NHL star on fire
Friday’s “First Call” previews the next opponent for the Pittsburgh Penguins. We check out the hottest player in the NHL. Lamar Jackson is trying to stay healthy in Baltimore as a game against the Steelers looms. Also, the Pitt and Duquesne men’s basketball teams look to keep their winning ways...
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...
First Call: Could Tom Brady return to New England? Aaron Donald out; Phil Kessel back to face Pens
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ upcoming opponent got some bad news. Aaron Donald is injured. Phil Kessel is slumping. Joey Porter’s son is going pro. And could Tom Brady really go back to New England? All that and more in Thursday’s “First Call.” Donald down Former Pitt Panther Aaron Donald is going...
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....
First Call: Jeff Saturday regrets decision vs. Steelers; more talk about ‘same plays’ from opposition
Indianapolis Colts coach Jeff Saturday is second-guessing a decision he made during Monday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, a Colts defensive player sounds like he is echoing something one of the Cincinnati Bengals said last week about the Steelers offense. Also, we have info about some Atlanta Falcons injuries...
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...
First Call: Early odds on Steelers-Falcons; Aaron Donald injury; ex-Steeler cut to make room for Deshaun Watson in Cleveland
Tuesday’s “First Call” has the early line for the Steelers-Falcons game on Sunday. We also have some injury news about former Pitt star Aaron Donald. A former Steeler is out in Cleveland. We take a look at Tuesday night’s game for the Penguins, and Duquesne’s seventh game of the season...
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...
First Call: Skunk takes over fan section in Cleveland during Browns game; Thanksgiving NFL TV ratings are huge
Monday’s “First Call” has a story about the Browns that Steelers fans will enjoy. Thanksgiving Day NFL ratings were through the roof. We check in on Marc-Andre Fleury and Chase Claypool. Plus, we preview Pitt’s next basketball opponent. Turkey Day TV TD Thanksgiving Day football on national television was a...
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...
Madden Monday: ‘It’s too early to say that Kenny Pickett is a bust. It’s not too early to say that’s possible.’
For Mark Madden of 105.9 The X, there is only one true angle to track the rest of the way as the Pittsburgh Steelers take their 3-7 record through the last seven weeks of the regular season. “I think the overriding story for the Steelers the rest of this year...
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...
First Call: Joe Burrow on T.J. Watt’s interception; Steelers-Colts game has different tone; Darrelle Revis’ honor
Monday’s “First Call” has Joe Burrow’s assessment of Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt after yet another eye-popping interception. Next week’s game for the Steelers no longer appears to be the joke people were making it out to be two weeks ago. A former Pitt Panthers star is getting a well-deserved...
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....
