Friday’s “First Call” has more news about former Pittsburgh Steeler Antonio Brown potentially going to Seattle. Interesting injury updates from Tennessee about the Titans in advance of Sunday’s game against the Steelers. Dominik Simon addresses his time playing with Sidney Crosby. And Charlie Morton looks to further entrench his postseason reputation.
On board with A.B.
If the Seattle Seahawks want to sign former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, one very important person has signed off on the idea already.
That’s quarterback Russell Wilson. The Seattle Times reports that Wilson has endorsed the idea stating, “With coach (Pete) Carroll, I think with the teammates that we have, the men that we have and the growth, I think if he does play football I think this is a great place. If he does play again I think this is a place that he’ll grow a lot as a man, too, as well.”
Wilson says that he has been in touch with Brown, and he is buying into the suspended receiver’s path to redemption.
“From the conversations I’ve had with him, he’s really been remorseful and he’s been humbled along the way,’’ Wilson said. “Knowing what I know, of him and the times I’ve been around him, I try not to judge people, and I think that along the way, I think it’s important that no matter what, no matter if he plays football ever again or not, I think it’s important that he’s surrounded by the right people.’’
Brown isn’t eligible to return until after Week 8. He’s been suspended by the NFL because of multiple sexual-assault allegations and intimidating an accuser through texts. He also pleaded no contest to a felony battery charge.
Good luck, Russ.
Is A.J. OK?
There were a few interesting notes on the Titans injury report. Talented wide receiver A.J. Brown didn’t practice because of a knee problem. A knee bone bruise had limited his participation previously. Brown has missed two games this season and may have had to sit out the Steelers game if it was played as originally scheduled back in Week 4.
Brown has played the past two weeks. He’s been good, making 12 catches for 140 yards and three touchdowns in wins against the Bills and Texans.
Also, first-round draft choice Isaiah Wilson remains out with an illness. He twice has spent time on the covid-19 list, but this week’s illness is apparently not covid-19 related. Some speculated he may be thrown into the mix at either tackle to offset the loss of injured left tackle Taylor Lewan.
Meanwhile, edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney (knee), tight end MyCole Pruitt (illness), defensive lineman DaQuan Jones (foot), right tackle Dennis Kelly (knee) and tight end Jonnu Smith (ankle) practiced in full.
On Wednesday, Clowney and Pruitt did not practice and Jones, Kelly and Smith were limited. Kelly is of particular interest.
When Lewan got hurt versus Houston last week, swing tackle Ty Sambrailo took over on the left side. It’s possible the Titans move Kelly over to the left side and use either Sambrailo or Wilson at right tackle.
Westward bound
Former Steelers and Pitt Panthers often wind up in Arizona. It seems to be a common destination.
Former Steelers Kelvin Beachum and Marcus Gilbert are out there right now. So are former Panthers Larry Fitzgerald and Andy Lee.
Another may be on the way. Former Steelers tight end Dax Raymond had a tryout with the Cardinals, according to Cardswire.com.
At 6-foot-4 and 254 pounds, Raymond has spent time with the Chicago Bears as well as the Steelers. He played collegiately for Utah State. In three seasons for the Aggies, he caught 72 passes for 873 yards and three touchdowns.
Simon praises Sid
Sidney Crosby lost a former linemate Thursday.
Dominik Simon signed with the Calgary Flames. But he praised the Penguins captain on the way out of town.
“At the time, you don’t realize it,” Simon said via the Flames website. “How fortunate (you are). It’s amazing. You don’t think about that you’re playing with one of the best in the game. He was an amazing teammate and an amazing player to play with. I was extremely lucky I was able to play with him.”
As TribLive’s Seth Rorabaugh points out, Simon’s most common linemate last season in terms of five-on-five ice time was Crosby at 390:24.
Simon, 26, spent parts of the past five seasons with the Penguins. Last year, he scored 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 64 games. A shoulder injury ended his season in late February.
Clutch Chuck at it again
Charlie Morton has gone from up-and-down performer in Pittsburgh to one of the best postseason pitchers of the past decade.
He’ll get another chance to show his stuff Friday night in Game 3 of the World Series for the Tampa Bay Rays against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The series is currently tied 1-1.
Over 12 postseason appearances between his time with the Rays, Pirates, and Houston Astros, Morton is 7-2 with a 2.84 ERA.
During his time in Tampa, the right hander is 5-0, yielding just two earned runs in 25.2 innings of postseason work.
The only result he had with the Pirates was a Game 4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals during the divisional series back in 2013. Morton was OK, giving up two runs in 5⅔ innings pitched. But Michael Wacha was better, and the Cards won the game 5-3 and the series 3-2.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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