Our Wednesday “First Call” proves new Steelers linebacker Avery Williamson already has a good sense of Pittsburgh. We’ve got an update on the covid-19 situation from Baltimore. And a look at the looming Tampa Bay debut of Antonio Brown.
Small steps for Mr. Big Chest?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have activated wide receiver Antonio Brown from the suspension list. That means the former Steelers wide receiver is good to go for the team’s game against the New Orleans Saints.
Provided he hasn’t burned his feet in a cryogenic chamber again. And he likes his helmet.
Should Brown somehow find his way onto the field Sunday, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians is leaving the door wide open for how much “Mr. Big Chest” plays.
Bucs’ HC Bruce Arians on Antonio Brown’s role Sunday night vs. Saints: “He’ll have his role – it could be 10 plays [or] it could be 35 plays. I wouldn’t anticipate 60 plays, for sure, but we’ll just see how it goes.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 3, 2020
One issue Arians referenced in limiting Brown’s snap count is that the team played against the New York Giants Monday night so their practice Wednesday will be more of a walk through.
Good read
If new Steelers linebacker Avery Williamson can diagnose opposing offenses as well as he can the populace of the Steelers fan base, he’s going to be Jack Lambert over his nine-game career in Black and Gold.
Look what he did as soon as he landed in Pittsburgh. He posed with the Franco Harris statue.
Not only that, but he’s tweeting about getting a Primanti’s sandwich already.
And he’s embracing the idea of taking on No. 51. Like another former Jet who joined the Steelers, James Farrior.
Not a bad legacy.
By the way, NFL.com managed to put together a list of the biggest winners and losers at the trade deadline. Writer Gregg Rosenthal listed Williamson as one of the winners as he jumped from the 0-8 Jets to the 7-0 Steelers.
We elect ‘The Bus’
In 1996, Nov. 3 wasn’t an election day. It was a Sunday.
And the first year of the Bus’ term of being a Pittsburgh sports hero was just starting to roll.
Jerome Bettis barreled to 1,431 yards in his first year as a Steeler after a trade from the St. Louis Rams. And, on that day in 1996, he rumbled for two touchdowns and 129 yards against his former team.
The Steelers celebrated that anniversary on their website Tuesday.
Update from Baltimore
Steelers fans have been tracking the fallout from Marlon Humphrey’s positive covid-19 test.
The Baltimore Ravens defensive back reportedly received a positive diagnosis in a test that was administered Sunday morning. But the result wasn’t known until after he played against the Steelers.
Via contact tracing, the organization placed seven defensive players on the reserve/covid-19 list Tuesday. They include Matt Judon, Tyus Bowser, Patrick Queen, L.J. Fort and Malik Harrison. Defensive backs Terrell Bonds and DeShon Elliott were added, too.
That means eight total Ravens. Via NFL.com, the seven additional players above will be isolated for five days. Then they have to pass covid-19 tests before they’re eligible to play in Baltimore’s Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
