First Call: Doubts about Justin Fields from Chicago; Tyler Huntley could've been a Steeler? Penguins' playoff outlook
Monday’s “First Call” has a rough review of new Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields. We learn who the Steelers may have tried to acquire on the quarterback market if not for the Fields trade.
The Penguins’ playoff picture is coming into focus. And we look at the next opponent for the red-hot Pirates.
Future of Fields
One of the main questions surrounding the Steelers this year is what the future of Justin Fields might be.
Did the Bears just screw up a potentially good quarterback? Or was he simply a solid college QB at Ohio State who isn’t going to make it at the NFL level?
SteelersDepot.com
Here is what he had to say about the team’s pre-draft thoughts on Fields and how those issues may still be apparent now — specifically regarding Fields’ downfield vision and ability to handle pressure.
“Our main concern was: ‘Is this just a two-year starting quarterback in college that needs more time? He’s playing around phenomenal talent, offensive line and perimeter skill. He’s got more time to operate. Or is this like a lack of instinct?’ That was our big question, and after three years, I would say there’s a little bit of an instinct issue there,” Lucas said. “It’s why I think the league just told you he’s viewed as a backup quarterback right now more than a starting quarterback.”
Well, after watching Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett try to play quarterback here over the last two years, I can’t see how any of that might be a problem.
Can you?
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What almost was
Regardless of Fields’ shortcomings, he is now the Steelers backup quarterback to Russell Wilson. But according to Cleveland.com, that could’ve been ex-Baltimore Raven Tyler Huntley.
Via Mary Kay Cabot at the publication, as mined at S
“Huntley was believed to have had a chance to sign with the Steelers in free agency, a source told Cleveland.com, but became the odd man out when they traded for Justin Fields,” Cabot reported.
“We looked at (Huntley) as a really fantastic opportunity for our organization,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said via the post. “I’ll let Tyler speak on it, (but) a couple things maybe went a little different direction so maybe he got caught standing in a game of musical chairs unexpectedly.”
Presumably, those musical chairs were the Steelers signing Wilson, trading Pickett to Philadelphia and acquiring Fields from Chicago. Now Huntley is in a quarterback room in Cleveland with Deshaun Watson, Jameis Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
I’m not the biggest fan of Fields, but I prefer his potential to what Huntley would’ve brought here.
Elsewhere in the East
Now that the Penguins have flung themselves back into the Eastern Conference playoff mix, we’ve got to keep an eye on everything else going on in the standings, even on days when the Pens are idle.
Such was the case Sunday when both the Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals were in action.
The Wings won a 3-1 decision at home over the Buffalo Sabres. Patrick Kane had a pretty goal to help Detroit’s cause.
Patrick Kane splits the d & nets today's @xfinity game-changing moment! ???? pic.twitter.com/yryY4xlL5y
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 7, 2024
Meanwhile, the Caps lost 3-2 in overtime to the Ottawa Senators. It’s Washington’s sixth straight loss. Defenseman Jake Sanderson got the game-winning goal for the Sens.
Jake slithers on the blue line before ending this one in OT ???? #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/kdk88q7ewM
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) April 8, 2024
So that means Detroit picked up two points and the Caps got one. As a result, the Red Wings have 84 points. That puts them in the East’s eighth and final playoff spot. The Pens and Caps both have 83 points, with identical 36-30-11 records. Technically, the Penguins have the tiebreaker since they have three more regulation wins.
The Philadelphia Flyers also have 83 points with one extra game played, at 36-31-11. So they are a half game back in 11th place. Coming out of the weekend, the third-place New York Islanders hold the Metropolitan Division’s final automatic qualifier spot with 85 points.
North of the border
So, for all of the reasons above, you can see why the Penguins’ next game on Monday night is huge.
They are in Toronto to play the Maple Leafs at 7 p.m. The Leafs currently hold the Atlantic Division’s third and final automatic qualifier spot at 97 points.
The Pens beat Toronto, 3-2, at home on Nov. 25, but then lost in Toronto, 7-0, on Dec. 16. The Leafs are playing well of late, having won four of their last five. The combined score over that time has been 19-11.
The Leafs score 3.62 goals per game, which is third best in the NHL. Their power play percentage of 24.3% is No. 8 in the NHL.
Forward Auston Matthews has 64 goals. That’s 11 more than anyone else in the NHL. Sam Reinhart is next with 53.
Tiger time
At 8-2, the Pirates enter their fourth series of the year with the best record in the National League. Their next opponent enters PNC Park with one of the better records in the American League.
The Detroit Tigers come to Pittsburgh for a short series on Monday and Tuesday. They have won six of their first nine games. That’s good for second place in the American League Central — just a game behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians (7-2).
The Tigers were good on the road to start the year, winning five of six as visitors against the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets. However, the Tigers just dropped two of three at home to the Oakland A’s. Oakland entered that series 1-7.
Detroit doesn’t score a lot. They’ve only plated 28 runs through eight games, 27th in baseball. Their team batting average of .209 is 26th in MLB.
However, the team’s 2.51 earned run average is fourth best in the majors. With 21 earned runs allowed, only the Boston Red Sox (13) and Guardians (20) have given up fewer.
Listen: Tim Benz and Seth Rorabaugh discuss the Penguins’ playoff chances in this week’s hockey podcast
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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