Mark Madden: Costly personnel blunders have buried the Steelers in mediocrity
As the Steelers look to break a string of nine seasons with no playoff wins, there still seems to be an underlying faith among the citizens that the Steelers have a great organization and will ultimately get it right. But nine years is a pretty big sample size to the...
Mark Madden: Picturing Ty Simpson to the Steelers, Konnor Griffin in the big leagues and more sports notes
Men’s curling scandal at the Winter Olympics: Sweden accused Canada of double-touching after the hog line. Canada accused Sweden of secretly filming. I have no idea what that all means, but it sounds sexy. Enjoy these refreshing sports notes while I figure it out. • Don’t be shocked if the...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: College football is no longer just the NFL’s feeder system
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has used the courts — specifically, a judge with a law degree from Ole Miss — to finagle a sixth year of NCAA football eligibility. The NCAA will appeal. Chambliss’ reasoning is simple: He would likely be picked in the third round of this year’s...
Mark Madden: Cam Heyward’s silence speaks loudest in Steelers’ podcast saga
As Pittsburgh Steelers past and present re-enact “Mean Girls” via podcast — I stole that from X — it’s easy to overlook the hidden schmuck in Porter vs. Roethlisberger. It’s the fearless leader, Cameron Heyward. Heyward sat there, a lump of silence, while Joey Porter excoriated Ben Roethlisberger, called him a...
Mark Madden: Remember when Pittsburgh was a basketball town?
Pittsburgh used to be a basketball town, kind of. Hard to believe. I know. I was there. Even harder to believe. Amazon Prime is premiering a new documentary called, “Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association.” The iconic “Dr. J,” Julius Erving, appeared on satellite radio to mark...
Mark Madden: Super Bowl showed value of franchise quarterback, and other observations
That Super Bowl was so boring I couldn’t glean an entire column from it. So what we got is refreshing sports notes. (I was going to write them using either Spanish or redneck. I couldn’t decide.) • For Steelers fans, the big takeaway from the Super Bowl is that Seattle...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: First ballot or not, Ben Roethlisberger’s accomplishments are undeniable
Mario Lemieux once dispensed these words of wisdom: “I judge myself by Stanley Cups and scoring titles, because nobody votes on those.” Lemieux has again been proven correct in the wake of the Pro Football Hall of Fame having announced its latest class. The primary conversation is about who didn’t...
Mark Madden: The Miracle on Ice remains an unmatched moment in sports history
“Miracle: The Boys of ’80” is a Netflix documentary about the U.S. hockey team conquering impossible odds to win gold at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. It brought surviving members of that team back to Lake Placid to watch highlights, talk and relive the moment. It’s strong and heartfelt....
Mark Madden: The Penguins have to stop beating themselves with playoffs hanging in the balance
With the Pittsburgh Penguins sitting second in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division as the Olympics break approaches, the presumptuous among you ask if they’re capable of a playoff run. But it’s far from certain that they’re capable of making the playoffs. Their last three games confirm such. They flirted with disaster...
Mark Madden: Zero chance Will Howard starts for the Steelers and more sports notes
Like the snowflakes that clog your driveway, no two refreshing sports notes are exactly alike! I also use a shovel. • Will Howard will not start at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Zero chance. He’s a sixth-round pick with all the attached limitations. When new coach Mike McCarthy praises Howard,...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: It’s time to fix the Pro Football, Baseball halls of fame
Bill Belichick got excluded from the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot. It didn’t happen randomly. Belichick won six Super Bowls as New England’s coach but got caught cheating twice. The Hall’s voting process is flawed when it lumps in Belichick with old-timey candidates like L.C. Greenwood....
Mark Madden: Mike McCarthy won the press conference, but it’s still a bad hire
Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II said it wasn’t important for new coach Mike McCarthy to win the initial press conference. But McCarthy did exactly that. Rooney said McCarthy wasn’t hired because, having coached Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, he’s the best bet to lure Rodgers back to Pittsburgh for...
Mark Madden: If Jason Robertson is available, the Penguins have to act
It could be media-driven fantasy, but the Pittsburgh Penguins might have a legitimate chance to get star winger Jason Robertson from Dallas, either via trade before the season’s March 6 deadline or by signing him to an offer sheet when Robertson becomes a restricted free agent in the offseason. The...
Mark Madden: By hiring Mike McCarthy, the Steelers have lowered organizational goals
Boy, is Art Rooney II desperate to win a playoff game. He should be. By the standard of the family business, Rooney’s tenure as its steward has been disappointing in every way beyond profit. (The Steelers are too big to really fail. Lucky for Rooney.) Now, in an effort to...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Same as it ever was for Pirates, Steelers
It’s the time of the season for horse manure, to paraphrase The Zombies. Pirates players who braved the threat of severe winter weather to get to Saturday’s PiratesFest talked about having a different attitude. (Ex-Buc Dale Berra canceled his return when he found out it wasn’t that kind of blizzard.)...
Mark Madden: Many reasons why the Penguins are better than expected
The numbers don’t lie: • The Penguins are 10-2-2 since the NHL’s holiday break. • The Penguins have scored the first goal in each of those 10 wins. (They don’t come out flat like the Steelers.) • The Penguins are 25-14-11. Second in the Metropolitan Division. Second-fewest regulation losses in...
