Sports

First Call: Dwayne Haskins family makes 1st statement; Melvin Ingram visits AFC team; son of Steelers All-Pro in draft – TribLIVE

In Wednesday’s “First Call,” multiple services are planned to honor the memory of recently deceased Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins.

Former Steeler Melvin Ingram is making the free agent rounds. The son of a Steelers Pro Bowler is entering the NFL draft at a position of need for his father’s old team.

And we recap a busy night in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division.

Family speaks out

Family members of Dwayne Haskins have made their first public statement since the Steelers quarterback was killed in a traffic accident over the weekend, and they are releasing plans for multiple memorial services.

Via WUSA-TV, family, coaches, teammates and childhood friends will hold funeral services from noon to 3 p.m. April 23 at Christ Church in New Jersey. That’s where Haskins was born and raised until high school.

The next night at 7 p.m., Haskins’ memory will be honored at Bullis School in Potomac, Md., where Haskins attended high school.

WUSA also said the Steelers will have a funeral with the date and time to be determined. The station reports that Haskins’ family has informed the team they will not attend the service.

“We have had such an overwhelming outpouring of love for our son since the news broke of our loss,” Tamara and Dwayne Haskins Sr., parents of Haskins, said through WUSA. “Anyone who knew Dwayne knows he worked exceptionally hard to achieve such a high level of success at such a young age. He was touched by so many people on his journey to being a standout athlete and we are grateful to all of them. This pain is unimaginable, and we appreciate everyone who shares in our heartbreak.”

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Haskins was attempting to cross the westbound lanes of Interstate 595 on foot early Saturday while there was oncoming traffic. He was hit by a dump truck and pronounced dead on the scene. Haskins was 24 years old.

Next generation

For fans of the 1990s Steelers, get ready to feel old.

Carnell Lake’s son could be drafted later this month.

Like his dad, Quentin Lake is a defensive back who played at UCLA. He told the NFL Network on Tuesday that he has taken a lot of tips from his father who was an All-Decade player in the 1990s.

“He’s been great,” Quentin Lake said of his father. “Over the course of my years, he has definitely helped me improve my game. Telling me the ins-and-outs of football. That’s the biggest thing. Having a father-figure like that, having somebody that did it, it’s a good resource to go back and understand the game. It was so important. He’s been critical in me performing on the field and making plays in games. … What to look at when offenses are lining up. What is their favorite formation? What are offenses going to attack?”

Lake’s father was picked by the Steelers in the second round of the 1989 draft and was a first team All-Pro four times.

As his father possessed, Lake is believed to have exceptional versatility and intelligence, but perhaps not elite athleticism.

Via NFL.com, draft analyst Lance Zierlein said, “Lake isn’t the fastest or the most athletic player and has coverage limitations that cap his ceiling, but he has a high football IQ and impressive ball skills. He sees the field well, which helps him get to where he needs to go. He’s not an enforcer near the line of scrimmage but does tackle with good strength and technique to finish the job. He was a demon on special teams as a freshman and will likely reprise that role as a backup in the league.”

Most draft analysts have Lake as a third-day prospect. NFL.com has him tagged as “an average backup or special teams player.”

But the Steelers are in need of safety depth, and the elder Lake did coach on Mike Tomlin’s staff. So maybe they take a chance on the son of a team legend.

Melvin to Miami?

Former Steeler Melvin Ingram may have a new home in the AFC.

The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero have both reported that the free-agent pass rusher was visiting the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday.

After nine years with the Chargers, Ingram signed in Pittsburgh before the start of 2021. He lasted just six games with the Steelers before requesting a trade due to issues with his number of snaps.

The Steelers dealt him to Kansas City, where Ingram compiled a sack and five QB hits in nine regular-season games with the Chiefs. In the playoffs, he totaled two sacks and three QB hits.

Topsy-turvy Tuesday

The Penguins’ 5-4 shootout loss against the New York Islanders was one of three games in the Metropolitan Division featuring potential playoff teams.

The division-leading Carolina Hurricanes extended their edge on the second-place New York Rangers by way of a 4-2 victory at Madison Square Garden. Ex-Penguin Jordan Staal scored a goal for the Canes. It was his 14th of the season and his sixth in his past four games.

Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals throttled the Philadelphia Flyers 9-2. Another former Penguin got involved in that win as Conor Sheary scored his 17th goal of the year.

That’s four wins in a row for Washington and seven losses in nine tries for the Flyers.

So, catching up on all that, the top four of the Metro Division looks like this as of Wednesday morning.

1. Hurricanes: 104 points

2. Rangers: 100 points

3. Penguins: 95 points

4. Capitals: 92 points

The Rangers are the only team in that group scheduled to play Wednesday night. They are in Philadelphia.

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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