First Call: Dueling reports on Steelers' QB plans; Antonio Brown mocks Kenny Pickett; another Jaromir Jagr return
Tuesday’s “First Call” features some split reporting on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation. Antonio Brown can’t help but take a social media swat at Kenny Pickett.
Jaromir Jagr is already heading back to Pittsburgh again. A recent former Penguin posted a hat trick. It’s an important night on the local college basketball front.
And a Robert Morris hockey player earns some conference recognition for a clutch performance.
Which way is up?
We certainly are in the silly season of NFL reporting when it comes to wild speculation about what teams are planning to do with free agency approaching next week.
Frankly, it can’t end soon enough.
Regarding the Steelers and their quarterback situation, there were conflicting reports yesterday from two prominent outlets. The Athletic ran a story stating that the Steelers
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Adam Schefter went on “The Pat McAfee Show” and said the Steelers are “absolutely looking, and I would expect at some point they’re gonna add one of these guys. It doesn’t feel like they are in an urgent mode to where, boy, we’re gonna go make this move for Kirk Cousins on Day 1 of free agency and outspend all these guys. I think that they still absolutely have hopes for Kenny Pickett.”
Well, Adam, if it’s not moving with urgency to get Cousins, and they still “have hopes for Pickett,” who are we talking about? Ryan Tannehill? Jacoby Brissett? Retaining Mason Rudolph?
“I don’t think they know right now,” Schefter said. “I think they’re still sorting through it as we speak, but all those decisions are going to crystallize here over the course of the next week. I haven’t sensed that they were at the combine going through quarterback meetings ’round the clock to go get somebody in here to dislodge Kenny Pickett. So I’m not giving you a specific answer because I don’t think right now they have a specific answer.”
Schefter did go so far as to rule out Cousins. However, he did put Fields and Wilson in the “in play” category.
Shots fired!
This bowling mishap video from the “Overtime” feed on X has been seen over 4.6 million times.
That bowling ball gone (via rikktok69/TT) pic.twitter.com/ToTvgCFUx7
— Overtime (@overtime) March 4, 2024
When former Steeler Antonio Brown saw it, he used it as a way to take a shot at Kenny Pickett.
Kenny Pickett at the bowling alley #CTESPN https://t.co/UgHqEc4tDm
— AB (@AB84) March 4, 2024
What a cheap, low blow by Antonio Brown. Completely unnecessary. I mean, it’s not nice to make fun of that kid. What if his hands are just too small for the bowling ball?
(See A.B., if you are going to pick low-hanging fruit, at least pick the shiniest apple.)
By the way, what you didn’t see in that video is that Brown was in the next lane over, and he was mad that the kid didn’t throw the bowling ball in his direction. So he took off his shirt and ran out of the alley.
(Again, A.B., this stuff really writes itself if you just let it happen).
Tuesday tip-offs
Tuesday features plenty on the slate for local college basketball.
We’ll start early with Duquesne. The Dukes (18-11, 8-8 Atlantic-10) are at VCU (19-10, 11-5) at 7 p.m. Keith Dambrot’s club has won four of five, including a 59-51 win over George Mason on Saturday afternoon. The Rams are coming off a tough 79-76 loss to Richmond on Saturday.
The Spiders lead the conference at 14-2. The Rams are three games back in fourth place. They are a five-point favorite.
Meanwhile, both Robert Morris teams are in Horizon League playoff action. The men (10-21, 6-14) are looking for an upset as the ninth seed against the eighth-seeded Purdue Fort-Wayne Mastodons (20-11, 11-9) at 7 p.m. This is a rematch of a game played Saturday in the regular-season finale for both clubs. The Colonials lost 83-65.
As for the women’s team, it’s in Michigan to face Detroit Mercy. That’s at 7 p.m. The Colonials finished last in the conference (11th place) at 2-18 (6-23 overall). The Titans were 9-11 (16-15 overall) to claim sixth place.
Finally, Pitt’s men’s team hosts Florida State at 9 p.m. The Panthers have won six of eight. They are 19-10, 10-8 in ACC play. That’s good for fifth in the conference. The Seminoles are 15-14, 9-9 in the conference, currently eighth in the standings. It’s the first meeting between the clubs this year. They split two contests a season ago.
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Quick return
After an emotional jersey retirement last month, it appears Jaromir Jagr already has another trip back to Pittsburgh planned.
Via TribLive’s Seth Rorabaugh, it looks as if Jagr is coming back to participate in Mario Lemieux’s Fantasy Camp from March 9-14. And he is bringing Jiri Tichacek with him.
Tichacek is a 21-year-old defenseman who led Jagr’s Kladno team in scoring over in Czechia. Jagr still owns that team and plays for it.
Per this story (translated from Czech):
1.) Jaromir Jagr is scheduled to return to Pittsburgh next week to participate in Mario Lemieux's fantasy camp.
2.) He will be accompanied by Kladno teammate/employee Jiri Tichacek. The defenseman led that team in scoring this season. https://t.co/r3S3srZZJH
— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) March 4, 2024
Jagr posted this video on his Instagram account, where he gave Tichacek the news that he would be heading to Pittsburgh with him.
Going by a rough Google translation, Jagr says, “He will go to Pittsburgh, and I want him to take a look there because apart from the national team, that is where his path should lead one day.”
It’s not clear if Jagr means that path should specifically be with the Penguins or just with the NHL and North American pro hockey in general. But at least Tichacek can come to the USA and “take a look.”
The Lemieux fantasy camp had no confirmation of Jagr’s presence for TribLive as of Monday night.
The new Nylander
Speaking of former Penguins, did you see Alex Nylander’s night in Columbus?
Traded to the Blue Jackets from Pittsburgh on Feb. 23, Nylander picked up his first career hat trick Monday with three goals against the Vegas Golden Knights during a 6-3 win.
In just his fifth game with the @BlueJacketsNHL, Alex Nylander collects the first hat trick of his career! ????
Hat Trick Challenge Presented by @AstraZenecaUS pic.twitter.com/LHaFbHYUge
— NHL (@NHL) March 5, 2024
Nylander now has four goals since the trade. He had none with the Penguins in seven games this season. The Blue Jackets are in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. Their 52 points are the fewest in the Eastern Conference.
Rookie reward
Robert Morris hockey player Cameron Garvey is the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week. The AHA made that announcement Monday.
The freshman forward won the team’s first-round playoff game in overtime with a goal to beat Bentley. He scored it with 10 seconds left after a turnover behind the Falcons’ net.
THE GAME WINNER BY @CamGarvey 10 SECONDS LEFT IN OT! #BobbyMo #AHA20 pic.twitter.com/LkyW1zxNAe
— RMU Men’s Hockey (@RMUMHockey) March 3, 2024
That was Garvey’s third game-winning tally of his freshman campaign. On the year, Garvey has posted 11 goals and three assists. The Colonials face RIT in Rochester this weekend in a best-of-three quarterfinal series Friday through Sunday.
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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