“Breakfast With Benz” is taking a long winter’s nap for Christmas on Thursday morning and the day after. As a result, there will be no “Football Footnotes” on Friday.
Instead, we’re offering up a Christmas cornucopia of Pittsburgh Steelers stocking stuffers to ease you into the holiday following Mike Tomlin’s Tuesday press conference in advance of the road game at Cleveland on Sunday.
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The “whataboutism” comparisons that Steelers fans are making between DK Metcalf shoving a fan and Lamar Jackson doing the same thing earlier this season are silly. They need to stop. Jackson was physically contacted by a fan who reached into the field of play.
Lamar Jackson shoves a Buffalo Bills fan ???? pic.twitter.com/VbKzhHo2hs
— Hailmarypass (@Hailmarypass_) September 8, 2025
Metcalf reached up and touched a fan in Detroit last Sunday. It’s not the same thing.
If Steelers fans want a real comp to suggest that the NFL overreached with its two-game suspension of Metcalf (which was upheld Tuesday night), they should be pointing to Shaq Lawson of Buffalo. He did something similar to Metcalf in Philadelphia two years ago and didn’t get a suspension.
Shaq Lawson pushed a Philadelphia Eagles fan ????
Fine incoming pic.twitter.com/W0WCrSLKra
— Crazy Bills Fan (@CrazyBillsFan) November 27, 2023
However, I will say that the NFL does have a case to implement a stiffer precedent if it feels like there have been too many of these incidents in recent years. As a result, the league apparently feels that it needs to send a stricter message and establish a lower the threshold of acceptance when it comes to in-game fan interaction from players.
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Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that there may be “legal ramifications” in the wake of the Metcalf situation. He didn’t say in which direction, but I would imagine that would be coming from the fan who may be attempting to exaggerate his alleged injury or trauma from this event.
Or maybe he is going to play the slander or defamation card because some — such as Chad Johnson — have inferred that he uttered a racist remark.
All I know is that video exists of this blue-wigged dork shouting “that was the goal” after this incident occurred.
????♂️
The Lions Fan after the DK Metcalf incident
“That was the goal.” #steelers
Tik tok epicwander pic.twitter.com/RFw0srfyHk
— Matthew Luciow (@matthewluciow92) December 23, 2025
In that clip, if the fan is admitting to provoking this incident, I hope that dilutes whatever case he advances.
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Tomlin was once again reluctant to give much of an update on Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt.
“No new update on T.J.,” Tomlin said. “I’m sure he has been in the building. I’ll gain further information about his potential information in the earlier portions of the week and where that may lead.”
I asked Tomlin if Watt is beyond the recovery phase of the procedure to fix his lung and if he is at least on the path of getting back into football shape.
“I think that’s a fair estimation,” Tomlin replied. “I’ll let him speak in terms of his medical. For me to talk about injury is one thing. To talk about medical is something else. So that’s one of the reasons why I’ve been a little bit hesitant, besides my lack of expertise on the subject matter.”
That’s almost $34 million of the 2025 salary cap on the bench if he and Metcalf aren’t playing this week.
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More sports
• After Steelers coach Mike Tomlin pledges support, DK Metcalf’s 2-game suspension upheld
• Pirates add another slugger by signing Ryan O’Hearn to 2-year, $29 million free agent deal
• 3 Steelers named to Pro Bowl roster, including 1st-timer Ben Skowronek
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The Steelers have finally started to use Jonnu Smith in the creative ways we were told they would at the start of the year. Of late, a lot of that has been with Smith in the offensive backfield.
Pat Freiermuth has also gotten nine targets over the last two weeks.
Those tight ends better be a huge part of what coordinator Arthur Smith plans to do offensively against Cleveland if they are going in without Metcalf and potentially Calvin Austin as well.
“One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity. A guy like Roman Wilson has been working extremely hard and growing throughout the course of this thing but had his role reduced in recent weeks,” Tomlin said. “I’m excited (about) what that opportunity might mean for him to display growth in the midst of the time where he hadn’t been participating to show his professionalism and readiness and how he’s been sharpening his sword for battle in the ranks while he hadn’t been playing.”
If Tomlin is at the “let’s prop up Roman Wilson” stage of the game, the Steelers really are in a rough state of affairs at the receiver position — more so than normal over the last two years.
Cleveland boasts the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL, yielding just 164.1 yards per game through the air.
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If the Baltimore Ravens lose to the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night, the Steelers will have the AFC North clinched before they step onto the field in Cleveland on Sunday. Should such a circumstance arise, Tomlin acknowledged that he may consider resting some players against the Browns.
“It may,” Tomlin said of Saturday’s outcome potentially impacting his plans. “I hadn’t thought about it at all. To be quite honest with you, I just found out (Tuesday) morning that the game is Saturday night. I just learned to be tunnel-visioned over the years. But as I sit here and make plans for (practice) and the effort to lay a foundation to engineer victory, that’s something of very little relevance to me.”
At this point, the question becomes, “How many players can Tomlin really rest?”
They are so thin along the offensive line’s left side that he probably can’t rest a lot of guys on the right side. But if he does choose to do that, does he play Aaron Rodgers behind that patchwork offensive line against Myles Garrett?
Then does he sit Rodgers potentially for two straight weeks, or does he bring Rodgers back for what could be an equally meaningless game versus Baltimore next week?
There are also similar questions to be asked with ranks already very thin at wide receiver, outside linebacker, defensive line and defensive back.
Maybe we will get a heavy dose of Kaleb Johnson. You might see Cam Heyward and Jalen Ramsey take a seat.
But I bet the lineup stays closer to normal than what we may expect — even if the Steelers have nothing to gain with a win.
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Listen: Tim Benz and Joe Rutter wrap up Tuesday’s Mike Tomlin press conference in advance of Sunday’s game against the Browns
