First Call: The Steelers may miss another opponent’s injured star; Ben Roethlisberger campaigns for teammates to be inducted into the Hall of Fame
Wednesday’s episode of “First Call” highlights Ben Roethlisberger’s Hall of Fame campaign for two former teammates. We also learn of another prominent player who may be forced to miss a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In addition, we get a glimpse at the officiating crew for Sunday’s Steelers-Cardinals game.
And we preview the upcoming college basketball game between Duquesne and Robert Morris.
Another star is lost.
Another key member on the Steelers’ roster has been sidelined with an injury.
First, it was Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson. Then came tight end Mark Andrews in Baltimore and Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow on the same Thursday night.
The Indianapolis Colts’ standout running back Jonathan Taylor has been placed on injured reserve. Taylor will have thumb surgery in Los Angeles on Wednesday, according to team owner Jim Irsay. Irsay anticipates him being out for two to three weeks.
That might mean he misses the Colts’ Week 15 home game against the Steelers. The Steelers visit Arizona on Sunday and the Patriots on Thursday night, December 7, before going to Indianapolis for a game on either Saturday, December 16 or Sunday, December 17.
Taylor missed the first four games of the season due to an ankle injury caused by a contract disagreement. He struggled in his first two games, gaining only 37 yards on 14 carries. However, he got 91 yards on 15 carries with two scores last week.
The big pitch from Big Ben
Ben Roethlisberger spoke on WDVE on Tuesday morning to advocate for some of his old teammates to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Roethlisberger will very certainly be selected on the first ballot. But by then, he’s hoping James Harrison and Hines Ward would have arrived. On Tuesday, both men were chosen semifinalists for this year’s class.
“I’ve talked to a lot of quarterbacks who were terrified of him,” Roethlisberger said of Harrison. “I was terrified of him, and he was on my team.” … Any third down, any time that man dropped back to pass, you believe we’re going to get the ball because he’s either forcing the guy to throw it fast, (or) he’s going
Meanwhile, Ward was frequently referred to as a selfless player due to his dedication to blocking. However, Roethlisberger praised Ward for being selfish in the right places at the right times.
“If he got the ball around the 5-yard line, Hines Ward was the most selfish guy on the football field because he was getting in that end zone,” Roethlisberger was quoted as saying. “If he got a whiff of the end zone, he was going to find a way in.” That is what distinguished him. The selfish desire to get into the end zone to assist the team.”
The 2024 Hall of Fame Class will be announced prior to Super Bowl LVIII. On February 8, 2024, it will take place in Las Vegas.
Flying flags?
When the Steelers play the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, we might see a lot of penalty flags.
The crew of referee Land Clark is on the scene. According to the always-informative NFLpenalties.com website, that group has 146 issued penalties, which ranks second in the NFL. Their 173 total flags are the fourth most in the NFL.
Clark’s team has 33 offensive holding calls this season, which is tied for the second most in the NFL. The Cardinals have been called for offensive holding 18 times, one less than the Kansas City Chiefs, who have been flagged 19 times.
This might bode well for T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Clark and company have yet to work a Steelers game this season. On Sept. 17, they worked a Cardinals game, a 31-28 loss to the New York Giants. That day, they dropped 17 flags, eight against Arizona and nine against the Giants.
Back to work
The Duquesne men’s basketball team (4-2) played four games in a row from Nov. 10 to Nov. 17. During that time, they went 3-1.
Then, on November 22, they were defeated 89-79 at Nebraska. After all of that game action, head coach Keith Dambrot offered his team the most in-season time off of any club he had ever led, giving the players the whole holiday weekend off.
They are now preparing for their first game in a week versus UC Irvine. The Anteaters play at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Following a loss to San Jose State in their first game, UC Irvine has won six straight, including a victory over (then) No. 16 USC. So far this season, Russell Turner’s club has more wins than any other team in the Big West.
The Colonials (2-4) open Horizon League play on the road at Northern Kentucky on Wednesday night. Last season, the Norse (3-3) won the conference and are expected to do it again this year.
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