First Call: Bart Scott ‘disrespects’ Troy Polamalu; OBJ not happy with NFL; Gerrit Cole's Bronx debut

Tuesday’s “First Call” looks at former Raven Bart Scott sticking his foot in his mouth about Steelers great Troy Polamalu.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. isn’t happy about the state of the NFL.

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole has his Bronx debut. And Marc-Andre Fleury’s status in Las Vegas remains uncertain.

Big mouth Bart

Former New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Bart Scott was known to take a shot or two at various Steelers on the field.

Now a radio host in New York, Scott is still doing that. Except this time it’s not Ben Roethlisberger or someone else on offense.

It’s Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu.

Scott was on Adam Lefkoe’s podcast for Bleacher Report over the weekend. And Scott insists that it is “disrespectful” to Ed Reed when people compare Polamalu to him.

“Troy Polamalu is very deserving of going to the Hall of Fame,” Scott said. “But to mention Troy Polamalu in the same breath as Ed Reed? To me, it’s disrespectful.”

No, Bart. The only thing disrespectful was that comment.

Here’s the rest of Scott’s stance.

“To mention Troy Polamalu in the same breath as Ed Reed? To me, it’s disrespectful.”

- Bart Scott

(via @LefkoeShow) pic.twitter.com/IHCsgzqD1O

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) August 2, 2020

The more I listen to that clip, the more confused I get over what point Scott is trying to argue.

If he’s arguing that Polamalu and Reed played completely different positions and it’s impossible to compare the two players, he’s right.

That’d be like arguing which Steelers or Ravens linebacker was better, Jack Ham or Ray Lewis. They both played “linebacker.” But that’s where the similarities ended.

Similarly, Reed and Polamalu both played “safety,” but their responsibilities were entirely different. Reed played much deeper in coverage and was more of a ball hawk. Polamalu could do that, too. But he also played the middle third of the field and had more responsibilities in the rush game and blitzing.

Plus, I don’t recall Polamalu returning punts as Reed occasionally did.

So, from that standpoint, Scott is entirely right, and it feels like that is the crux of his argument.

But when he conflates that stance by deflating Polamalu’s status compared to Reed’s by inferring there are “different wings of the Hall of Fame,” that’s where he’s losing me.

I mean, Scott was making it sound like Ryan Clark was as much responsible for Polamalu’s success as the other way around.

What planet is he on?

It appears as if Scott is suggesting Reed is at a different level of achievement or class for what he was asked to do, than how Polamalu should be perceived for what he did.

And that’s insane. But let’s face it, we know what Scott is mad about.

It's #NationalHairDay, so it's only right we drop a Troy Polamalu highlight.

Jan. 18, 2009: The @steelers safety sealed a Super Bowl berth with a pick-six in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game. @tpolamalu pic.twitter.com/UqieIVvmz4

— NFL Throwback (@nflthrowback) October 1, 2018

OK. “Different levels.” Right, Bart. Tell me another one. Dare I say, I can’t wait.

Elsewhere in “First Call”….

OK, OBJ

Odell Beckham Jr. gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal, and the Cleveland Browns wide receiver is not on board with the NFL starting this season during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re not ready for football season,” Beckham said. “So why are we trying to push forward? It’s obviously for their money.

“The owners’ [attitude is], ‘Oh we own you guys,’ and just kind of that unfairness going on that they don’t see us as human. I just feel like the season shouldn’t happen and I’m prepared for it to not happen and I wouldn’t mind not having it.”

Hey, OBJ. Don’t let me stop you. Whatever you say. You know how to use that opt-out clause, right?

But Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot says that interview occurred two weeks before Beckham got a look at the Browns facility and its readiness for the pandemic. And now he doesn’t want to opt out.

Sounds to me like a guy who was shooting his mouth off a few weeks ago before fully understanding what opting out may mean for him or what the sentiment of the league’s players may be two weeks after the fact.

What was it that Baker Mayfield said last June?

Baker Mayfield: “You’re either on this train, or you’re not. It’s moving.”

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) June 4, 2019

Right. Maybe that needs to be reiterated to Beckham Jr.

Start spreadin’ the news

Former Pirate and Astros All-Star Gerrit Cole got his first start as a New York Yankee Monday night at Yankee Stadium.

It was good. Not great. Dominant early. Then he pitched through some trouble.

The right-hander retired the first six Philadelphia Phillies that he faced.

That was a Cole'd one. pic.twitter.com/hmXUlwNk82

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 4, 2020

But he’d later serve up a home run to designated hitter Jay Bruce.

Just doin' DH things. #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/iNWROjHffs

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 3, 2020

Cole would wind up with four strikeouts, allowing a walk and five hits over six innings. Then a rain delay hit. Bruce’s homer was the only run Cole allowed, and the Yankees went on to win 6-3.

So Cole improves to 3-0 to start his nine-year, $324 million dollar contract.

Flower’s future

It’s still unclear who will start in goal for the Vegas Golden Knights when their first-round playoff series starts.

Former Penguin Marc-Andre Fleury got the call in the exhibition opener against the Arizona Coyotes. And he won 4-1, stopping 22 of 23 shots.

But Robin Lehner started between the pipes in the Knights’ first contest of their Western Conference round robin Monday afternoon in Edmonton. He stopped 24 of 27 shots en route to a 5-3 victory over the Dallas Stars.

Lehner allowed three goals in the second period, but he blanked Dallas in the other two frames.

If Peter DeBoer sticks with his previously stated goal, he’ll continue to rotate the goalies during the round robin. That would mean Fleury starts in Game 2 against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.