First Call: Retired Steelers rival rips Justin Fields; Steelers' Week 1 opponent gets Pro Bowl pass-rush boost

To the surprise of no one, Bart Scott is taking jabs at the Pittsburgh Steelers on television again. This time, he is going after one of the team’s quarterbacks.

A former Steeler defensive lineman keeps finding work. The Steelers’ Week 1 opponent just got a Pro Bowl jolt on defense.

And there are a number of Duquesne basketball nuggets to pass along.

All that in Thursday’s “First Call.”

If you don’t have anything nice to say …

An old Steelers rival doesn’t seem to think very much of a new Steelers quarterback.

Former Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott gave this assessment of how Justin Fields pats the ball while hanging in the pocket too long.

“This guy continuously burps the baby,” Scott said on ESPN’s “Get Up” earlier this week. “When a play breaks down, and you burp the baby like that, you put the offensive tackles in a bind. Guys give up sacks, and they’re losing their career basically because you’re burping the baby back there.”

Scott said Fields’ slow processing in the pocket and patting-the-ball habit reminds him of Tim Tebow.

“You’ve got to throw with anticipation,” Scott continued. “You’ve got to throw guys open. In the NFL, nobody is open. It’s a small window. To do that, you have to have anticipation. And he processes so slow, it allows defenses to take advantage.”

Fields was sacked 44 times last year, fifth most in the NFL. In 2022, he and fellow Steelers QB Russell Wilson tied for the most sacks taken at 55 apiece.

Worth noticing

The Steelers’ Week 1 opponent just upgraded its defense.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Atlanta Falcons acquired edge rusher Matthew Judon from the New England Patriots for a third-round draft pick.

The four-time Pro Bowler had 62.5 sacks over his first seven years as a Patriot and a Baltimore Raven. He finished 2023 with only four in four games, thanks to a torn bicep.

New England parted ways with Judon because of a contract dispute. He has a base salary of $6.5 million this season and wants an extension. ESPN’s Dan Graziano says Judon and the Falcons are trying to make that happen before the season starts.

Atlanta was 21st in the NFL last year with 41 sacks. Via the Associated Press, the franchise hasn’t had a player with double-digit sacks since Vic Beasley had 15.5 in 2016.

Calais Campbell and former Steeler Bud Dupree led last year’s team with 6.5 sacks apiece. Campbell is now in Miami, and Dupree is a Los Angeles Charger.

More sports

• Russell Wilson looking forward to testing calf, making preseason debut with Steelers
• Steelers’ George Pickens not ‘indulging’ in Aiyuk Watch, enamored by Arthur Smith’s scheme
• Brandon Aiyuk saga takes interesting twist at 49ers practice

Still going strong

Speaking of former members of Pittsburgh’s front-seven, Nick Williams has yet another job. The former Steelers draft choice has latched on with the San Francisco 49ers.

A 2013 seventh-round pick of the Steelers, Williams spent parts of two seasons in Pittsburgh until he was signed off the practice squad by the Kansas City Chiefs in November 2014. After being released in 2016, Williams found his way onto the roster of the Miami Dolphins.

Since then, the Samford Bulldog alum has been with the Bears, Lions, Giants and Chargers. He has played in 97 games with 48 starts over his nine-year career.

Williams’ best season was in 2019 with Chicago. That year, he totaled 42 tackles and had six sacks.

What’s up on the Bluff?

Let’s check in on a few Duquesne basketball notes that may have fallen through the cracks with all of the recent football news across the NFL.

• On Tuesday, college hoops bracket expert Rocco Miller posted that Duquesne is ironing out an agreement to face Towson in Akron for a nonconference, neutral-site game on Dec. 14.

The game will be at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. That’s where new Dukes coach Dru Joyce III played alongside NBA legend LeBron James.

NEWS: Duquesne and Towson are finalizing an agreement to play a neutral-site game on Saturday, December 14th at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, according to multiple sources. #A10MBB #CAAHoops pic.twitter.com/X6fPSRQXph

— Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) August 13, 2024

The Dukes won a game in Akron last year when they beat Bradley, 69-67.

• One of the Dukes’ star players from 2023-24 signed an overseas contract earlier this week. Guard Jimmy “Tre” Clark III inked a deal with Bnei Herzliya Basket of the Israeli Premier League.

En route to an Atlantic 10 conference title, Clark averaged 15 points per game, second most on the team behind Dae Dae Grant’s 16.4.

The former VCU Ram blossomed after a transfer to Duquesne. He was named to the 2024 All-Atlantic 10 Second Team and is also a two-time All-Atlantic 10 Defensive Team (2023, 2024) honoree.

• Andrei Savrasov has also signed a professional contract. The 6-foot-7 forward from Russia is going back to his home country to play with BC Irkut Irkutsk.

Savrasov spent one year with the Duquesne program, starting 12 games this past season. Previously, he played for Texas Tech and Georgia Southern.

The native of Saint Petersburg logged 16.5 minutes per game for the Dukes, shooting 48% from the floor. He averaged just under six points and 3.5 rebounds per game.