Thursday’s “First Call” features high praise from Ben Roethlisberger for his Steelers quarterback successor.

A former Steelers wide receiver is back on the market. Two Steelers greats didn’t make the list of Hall of Fame finalists. The Penguins have a lot to copy from Thursday’s opponent.

And Duquesne’s women’s team opens the home portion of its Atlantic 10 conference schedule.

Apologies to Pickett

Back-to-back game-winning drives from Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett have opened the eyes of his Pro Bowl predecessor.

In a recent “Footballin’ with Ben” podcast, former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger admitted that he may have put too low of a ceiling on Pickett.

“I severely underestimated Kenny,” Roethlisberger said. “I think he throws the ball better than I thought. He runs way better than I thought, he’s faster or just more elusive, but he runs the ball way better than I expected. His decision making is really good. His leadership, toughness, just enough of an edge to him, it looks like. I apologize that I did not make this vocal. Kenny, keep doing what you are doing.”

Now Roethlisberger says “the sky is the limit” for Pickett.

Related

• Steelers balance return to football normalcy while Damar Hamlin injury weighs on players' minds • Mark Madden: With Bengals-Bills postponed, pushing back NFL playoffs seems to be best option • Kenny Pickett named Steelers' rookie of the year, Mason Cole honored for media cooperation

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The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its 15 finalists for the 2023 class. Steelers linebacker James Harrison didn’t make the cut. He had been a semifinalist in his first year of eligibility.

Harrison was a two-time world champion with the Steelers and the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year. He was a four-time All-Pro with 84.5 sacks and 34 forced fumbles.

Ex-Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward also failed to advance beyond the semifinal round. This was his seventh time as a Hall of Fame semifinalist. Ward — a three-time All-Pro — also won two Super Bowls with the Steelers and was the MVP of the Super Bowl XL contest.

There are now 15 finalists. Pitt product Darrelle Revis is on the list.

Washington washes out

Former Steeler James Washington went to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. His stay didn’t last long.

The wide receiver has been released following the Cowboys’ recent acquisition of T.Y. Hilton. The Texas native suffered a foot injury in training camp, has appeared in only two games and has yet to catch a pass.

Mike McCarthy on the release of James Washington said injures and his inability to play special teams led to this. “He’s a good man. Hopefully our paths will cross again.”

— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) January 4, 2023

A 2018 second-round draft pick of the Steelers, Washington became a free agent in the offseason and signed a one-year contract with the Cowboys.

Hilton already has five catches for 102 yards in two games.

Lessons to be had

One complaint fans have had about the Pittsburgh Penguins this season is that they have been very inconsistent.

They lost seven in a row after starting with wins in four of their first five games. That bad stretch then morphed into wins in 14 of 18 games. Now the Penguins have lost five in a row and six of seven.

All that has added up to a 19-12-6 record. That’s good for just sixth place in the Metropolitan Division.

Maybe they should take a page out of the book from tonight’s opponent, the Vegas Golden Knights. They haven’t lost more than two in a row all season. They are 26-12-2. Those 54 points are tops in the Western Conference.

The Golden Knights are allowing 2.80 goals per game, 10th fewest in the NHL. Rookie goalie Logan Thompson has 18 wins, tied for third most in the league.

The team’s power play is clipping at 25%, tied for ninth best in hockey. With 1,313 shot attempts, only four teams have more.

That said, the Penguins did win the team’s previous matchup this season, 4-3 on Dec. 1 in Pittsburgh.

Not flyin’

The University of Dayton women’s basketball team has won the Atlantic 10 regular-season championship three years in a row.

But as the Flyers come to Pittsburgh to face Duquesne Thursday night, the Flyers have found the 2022-23 season to be a struggle.

Under first-year head coach Tamika Williams-Jeter, Dayton is 2-10. But at least the Flyers have won their last two games, 94-58 over Cedarville and 71-66 against George Mason.

Williams-Jeter is a Dayton product who was a two-time national champion as a player at UConn. She played seven years in the WNBA.

As for Dan Burt’s Dukes, they are 10-4, having dropped the Atlantic 10 opener to Rhode Island 70-63 on Saturday. Tipoff is at 6 p.m.

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