First Call: Todd Haley discusses his relationship with Ben Roethlisberger; Jaromir Jagr still scoring in Czech league

Friday’s “First Call” has Todd Haley discussing Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, video of Penguins legend Jaromir Jagr still scoring goals and news about Lamar Jackson’s absence from Baltimore Ravens practice.

Also, the story of a kicker who helped beat the Steelers—and himself—at the same time.

Going over old times

Former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley was on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday.

The topic of his relationship with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was heavily discussed. Haley said that relationship was good. But he also called it “tenuous” because he replaced Roethlisberger’s good friend, Bruce Arians.

What do you think when you watch Big Ben right now??

"I always root for the Steelers.. Ben gets the ball out as fast as anyone & it just looks like he doesn't quite trust all the new pieces on the O Line right now" ~@thetoddhaley#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/uiG3CDoLU9

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 23, 2021

Haley also steadfastly stood by his offensive approach while coaching Roethlisberger. He was hired to shift the offense toward Roethlisberger throwing the ball quickly so he’d stop taking as many big hits and sacks as he did early in his career.

“What happened over those (six) years was Ben got the ball out fast. He appreciated getting the ball out fast to playmakers, who then made good plays. He saved a lot of wear and tear. So I think it was mission accomplished,” Haley said.

“Mission accomplished” by keeping Roethlisberger upright and extending his career? Yes, absolutely.

Mission accomplished in terms of postseason success? Not often enough. In four of their six years together (2012-14, 2017), Roethlisberger and Haley failed to qualify for the playoffs or failed to win a playoff game.

Hip slip

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson missed practice Thursday. And the initial reports suggested the reason may have been a hip injury as a result of his celebratory flip into the end zone during a Sunday night win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

There's only one @Lj_era8.

Now on NBC pic.twitter.com/NQMgKIwFm2

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 20, 2021

Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson wasn’t at practice today. Jackson said yesterday that his hip was sore from his TD flip.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 23, 2021

Jackson admitted to soreness as a result of the flip.

"I'm kinda sore... I'll probably do it again though. It was pretty cool." @Lj_era8 on the flip pic.twitter.com/9zDQxH5REd

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 22, 2021

But now it turns out the Ravens are saying Jackson missed practice because of an illness. That was the official designation from the team. The NFL Network and ESPN are now saying it was a stomach bug and Jackson should be able to play versus the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

That’s gotta hurt

Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson was named Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts at Heinz Field on Sunday.

Carlson made all four of his field-goal attempts and both extra points in the Raiders’ 26-17 win over the Steelers.

But that success came at a cost. Carlson said he was playing against himself in fantasy football. His good on-filed results were part of the reason his fantasy team lost.

Imagine losing in fantasy... to yourself

How @DanielCarlson38 stays calm when the pressure is on » https://t.co/ywGPGRjI6I pic.twitter.com/fLfDMriKJS

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 22, 2021

“I actually played against myself in fantasy this week,” Carlson said. “That was tough because I took a loss. I definitely contributed to that.”

Carlson is apparently a big fan of fantasy gaming.

“It’s fun. I think fantasy is great. It just gets people more involved in specific players and football in general. I have a lot of fun with it with my college friends,” Carlson said.

Still scoring after all these years

Former Penguins legend Jaromir Jagr is still scoring with Kladno of the Czech league.

At 49, Jaromir Jagr has STILL got it

Jagr scored twice in today's game for the Kladno Knights of the Czech league pic.twitter.com/rzkVTzERdX

— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) September 19, 2021

Jagr is 49 years old. He scored three goals in Kladno’s first four games of the season.

Jagr has been playing with Kladno for parts of the past six seasons. As Mario Lemieux was with the Penguins, Jagr is team owner. He was part of the club’s playoff run last spring. That helped them earn a promotion to the Czech top division.