First call: Antonio Brown reportedly felt Steelers' standard was 'slipping'

In "First Call" Friday, a different twist on the Antonio Brown situation. Alan Faneca will take another run at Canton. And some top-ranked hockey teams are in town this weekend.

The standard isn't the standard?

Check out this quote from Albert Breer of "Sports Illustrated" as it relates to Antonio Brown's absence last week.

"Brown has explained to those close to him that he didn't feel some of his teammates were as invested in 2018 as he was, and it was showing up in their work, and he was fed up with it. The standard, as he saw it, was slipping. And his side of the story holds that his handling of last week — from the Wednesday outburst to the Saturday no-show — was a manifestation of how he felt about the state of the team."

Many have speculated that the team MVP award going to JuJu Smith-Schuster was the catalyst for Brown's meltdown Wednesday. Breer's story mentions it could have been part of the overall big picture. But others have said that the vote wasn't even known until Thursday.

Interesting that the guy who kept skipping work and meetings this year is complaining about "slipping standards."

Hall of Fame for Faneca?

I've frequently stated that Alan Faneca should've been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. But he is still waiting.

The nine-time Pro Bowler is now a finalist for the 2019 class. The 15 nominees were announced Thursday. Other offensive linemen in that group include Steve Hutchinson, Tony Boselli and Kevin Mawae.

The Hall's Selection Committee meets in Atlanta the day before Super Bowl LIII to elect the new class.

Faneca was inducted into the Steelers Hall of Honor this September.

They're No. 1!

Robert Morris' Three Rivers Classic tournament is taking place Friday and Saturday.

The Colonials host Brown at 8 p.m. Friday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Performance complex in Cranberry. The top-ranked St. Cloud State Huskies battle Union in the opener at 5 p.m. Union is also nationally ranked at 14th.

Saturday, the tournament shifts to PPG Paints Arena. The consolation game is at 5 p.m. and the winners from Friday play at 8 p.m.

I asked a player after practice on Dec. 26 about the team MVP vote. He said, "oh are we doing that tomorrow?" That leads me to believe that the vote occurred Thur morning (was announced Thur afternoon) so why was AB 'reportedly' upset about not getting named MVP Wed morning?

— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) January 3, 2019

This is the first time a top-ranked team has played in the tournament. Former Penguins coach Herb Brooks coached the Huskies. Penguins forward Matt Cullen and former Penguin Ryan Malone are St. Cloud alumni.

They're No. 1, too!

Kind of.

The Penguins are also hosting a top-ranked team. Well, first place in the Central Division anyway.

The Winnipeg Jets are in town Friday night. They have 25 wins. That's tied for the highest total in the Western Conference with the Calgary Flames.

They also boast the best power play in the West at 28.1 percent, second-best in the NHL. Their penalty kill ranks 10th, and their 3.41 goals per game is seventh.

Much like the Penguins, who have won nine of 10 games, the Jets are rolling right now. They also have won seven of 10.

Good spot

We now know where former Duquesne guard Mike Lewis II is transferring. He's going to Nevada.

Good choice. Nevada a haven for transfers and is currently 13-0 and ranked No. 6 in the country.

Former Pitt forward Shamiel Stevenson is there, too.

If playing time was an issue at Duquesne, though, one has to wonder how much of the floor Lewis will see in Reno.

Unless Lewis gets a waiver, he will wind up with only one semester of eligibility remaining.