First Call: Former Patriot mocks Steelers’ attempt at defending him; ex-Steeler heads back to UFL team
Share this post:
The Pittsburgh Steelers are hearing some trash talk from a former Patriot about the 2016 AFC Championship Game long after it happened. A former wide receiver on the club is heading back to his old team in the UFL.
The Penguins are now using the Arizona Coyotes as a measuring stick.
And a pair of Duquesne women’s basketball players hit a significant milestone in the same game.
Opening old wounds
In a TikTok video, former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman ranked the five toughest teams he faced in the playoffs. He put the Steelers third behind the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens.
Edelman seemed particularly unimpressed with how the Steelers tried to guard him during his time in New England.
“Pittsburgh, they do what they do. They’re going to put a linebacker on me,” Edelman said with a smirk before running off camera.
Yes, getting caught with linebackers in tough coverage situations has unfortunately been a repetitive complaint of Steelers fans following playoff games over the past decade.
Edelman only faced the Steelers once in the playoffs. That was the 2016 AFC Championship Game. He caught eight passes on 10 targets for 118 yards and a touchdown in the Pats’ 36-17 win.
Throughout his career, Edelman was 6-1 against the Steelers. In regular season play, Edelman had 34 receptions on 48 targets for 341 yards.
Place your bets
Gambling lines are out for the AFC and NFC championship games. According to BetRivers.com, both home teams are favored within one score.
In the AFC game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, the Ravens are 3.5-point favorites in Baltimore. The over-under point total is 44.5.
The Chiefs won that game 23-20 a year ago over the Cincinnati Bengals.
On the NFC side, the San Francisco 49ers are seven-point home favorites over the Detroit Lions. That game’s over-under is set at 51.
San Francisco lost that game a year ago by a score of 31-7 in Philadelphia.
Back to where it all began
This offseason, a lot of Steelers fans and media members got excited about wide receiver Hakeem Butler. But the big target from the XFL never panned out.
Now he is heading back to the spring football ranks for a reboot.
According to SteelersNow.com, Butler is going back to his old team, the St. Louis Battlehawks, in the UFL. That’s the merged league between the old XFL and USLF. The franchise had waived Butler with an injury designation after he suffered an injury in training camp.
The 6-foot-5 receiver led the XFL with eight touchdown receptions to go along with 51 catches and 599 yards. But his performance in camps with the Steelers was too inconsistent for the team to keep him despite his tantalizing talent.
A product of Iowa State, the Arizona Cardinals selected Butler in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He also has spent time with the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles.
More sports
• Penguins forward Drew O’Connor found confidence playing overseas then comfort as a top-six winger
• Mike Tomlin says Steelers’ Keeanu Benton could be ‘dominant.’ Benton wants to prove him right
• Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Don’t expect many surprises from Steelers this offseason
In the pack
The Penguins are in Arizona to play the Coyotes on Monday night.
In NHL circles, most people tend to not think very much of Arizona. They’ve only made the playoffs once (2019-20) since 2012. But so far in 2023-24, things aren’t looking all that bad.
The ‘Yotes are 22-19-3. That’s good for 47 points in 44 games. The Penguins (21-16-6) have 48 points in 43 games. So, they are roughly in the same boat.
Arizona is one of three teams in the Western Conference with 47 points, tied with the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames. The Nashville Predators currently own the West’s final wild-card spot with 51 points.
Meanwhile, the Penguins are four points off the Eastern Conference’s wild-card pace. The Tampa Bay Lightning have the second wild card at 53 points. But three teams (the Islanders, Capitals and Devils) stand between them and that slot.
As for Coyotes rookie Logan Cooley, he is in a slump. The West Mifflin product (four goals, 17 assists) has just one goal and three points in nine games this month.
A couple thousand
A pair of Duquesne Dukes passed the 1,000-point plateau in Sunday’s 66-59 women’s basketball win over Davidson.
Amaya Hamilton totaled 13 points and Tess Myers had 11 as both women achieved that career scoring mark.
With this last triple, junior Tess Myers has surpassed 1,000 career points
Congrats Tess #GoDukes | @tessmyers24 | @A10WBB pic.twitter.com/qVsJxrgdrv
— Duquesne Women's Basketball (@DuqWBB) January 21, 2024
With this driving layup, senior guard Amaya Hamilton has exceeded 1,000 career points
Congrats Amaya#GoDukes | @amaya_hamilton | @A10WBB pic.twitter.com/63W22o79uU
— Duquesne Women's Basketball (@DuqWBB) January 21, 2024
Ayanna Townsend led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds. Megan McConnell added 14 points and seven rebounds.
The women next play at home Wednesday against Richmond. They are 10-8 overall and 5-2 in Atlantic 10 action.
As for the men, their next game is Tuesday at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse against St. Bonaventure. The men’s team is still looking for its first conference victory after five tries.