First Call: NFL execs see no worry for T.J. Watt after minimal preseason; Gerrit Cole leaves start early in New York

Wednesday’s “First Call” sees little concern among NFL executives about T.J. Watt’s minimal training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The ACC still has a decent Top 25 presence after a tough first week. But it is slipping. Ex-Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole suffered an injury in New York. We have a Gregory Polanco update.

And fundraising efforts for Robert Morris hockey are said to be going well.

No worry about Watt

It doesn’t appear that T.J. Watt’s contract status is affecting anyone’s opinion of his prospects at winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

According to a straw poll of scouts, coaches and executives around the league compiled by ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, Watt is deemed to have the best shot of grabbing that award from reigning recipient Aaron Donald.

“He’s figured things out where he knows how to affect each game plan, so I don’t see him having a down year,” an AFC exec said.

However, that group did not have Steelers running back Najee Harris among likely Rookie of the Year candidates. Quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville) and Mac Jones (New England) were atop that list.

ACC activity

Despite a rocky first week of play, the ACC still has four teams ranked in the new AP Top 25 poll. But three of them dropped in position.

Clemson fell from No. 3 to No. 6 after losing to Georgia, who jumped from No. 5 to No. 2. The Miami Hurricanes have fallen to No. 22 after opening at No. 14 and losing to top ranked Alabama. And North Carolina tumbled from No. 10 to No. 24 after a loss at Virginia Tech.

That victory got the Hokies into the rankings at No. 19.

We’ll see if Pitt gets enough votes to crack the Top 25 if they can beat Tennessee this weekend.

Gerrit goes early

Former Pirate Gerrit Cole left his start against the Toronto Blue Jays early Tuesday night. The New York Yankees pitcher was pulled from the game with a tight hamstring.

Cole allowed three runs, two earned, and five hits in 3⅔ innings. He threw 70 pitches in that time.

Via ESPN.com, Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed optimism about Cole’s injury saying, “there is no MRI scheduled on Cole’s hamstring and that the Yankees feel like they caught on to his issue early in the process.”

Toronto ended up winning 5-1. New York has now lost four in a row. The Yanks own a half-game lead on the Boston Red Sox for the top American League wild card spot. But the Red Sox are now only two games in front of Toronto for the second slot.

The Blue Jays have won six in a row.

Buffalo bomb

Speaking of the Blue Jays, Gregory Polanco is now in their system.

The former Pirates outfielder latched on with them after being released Aug. 28. Polanco is now in Triple-A with the Buffalo Bisons.

He launched a home run Tuesday.

.@El_Coffee is now being served at Sahlen Field! ☕️???? pic.twitter.com/Jx72R4qCik

— Buffalo Bisons???? (@BuffaloBisons) September 8, 2021

That was Polanco’s first homer with the Bisons. Like the big league club, the Bisons are hot, having won nine in a row.

On the right track

Derek Schooley has formally been rehired as Robert Morris’ men’s ice hockey coach. Plus, he has a new title.

The school announced Tuesday that Schooley has been named coach and director of men’s and women’s hockey operations. Schooley is the only coach the men’s team has ever known.

Both teams were cut by RMU back in May, but efforts have been put in place to reinstate the teams after this season. U.S. Olympian and RMU women’s hockey alumna Brianne McLaughlin-Bittle has been named special assistant for hockey operations.

Schooley and McLaughlin will help keep the women’s program afloat until a new coach is named, should both teams be allowed back on the ice in 2022-23.

A search for a coach for the women’s team will be conducted if the programs are reinstated, the school said. Paul Colontino left RMU in July after numerous efforts to keep the 2021-22 season alive were stonewalled.

The biggest issues are fundraising and recruiting. Not much can be done on the formal recruiting end until the teams are given the green light to resume — hopefully by the middle of December.

But in terms of fundraising, athletic director Chris King told TribLIVE Tuesday, “It’s further along than maybe what we anticipated. But we still have a lot of work to do.”