First Call: Rod Woodson jabs JuJu Smith-Schuster; ESPN knocks Bud Dupree; Mike Hilton on his big decision

Lots of Steelers talk dominates Tuesday’s “First Call.”

Rod Woodson is critical of wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. One analyst is unkind regarding linebacker Bud Dupree’s free agency projection. Cornerback Mike Hilton talks about the prospect of leaving Pittsburgh.

And we mix in some hockey this weekend in Pittsburgh as well.

Some bad JuJu

Steelers Hall of Famer Rod Woodson was not on board with JuJu Smith-Schuster’s logo dances last season.

Steelers Hall of Famer @RodWoodson26 on @937theFan on Juju logo dancing: "I hated it. It's disrespectful. I loved that Coach Tomlin put a stop to it."

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) March 8, 2021

Woodson wasn’t done there while speaking to the “PM Team” on 93.7 The Fan.

“What do you get out of that?” asked Woodson. “You’re doing it for your social media people, your followers. That riles up your opponents. If I see somebody dancing on the logo in the middle of the field on my home turf, after a while you’re like hey man, c’mon.”

I know, right? I mean, what’s this team gonna do next? Start planning a Super Bowl rap track before losing an AFC Championship game?

Oops. Sorry, Rod. Bad memories?

Look, I’m on record for ripping Smith-Schuster for those acts, too. But c’mon. The irony was too easy for me to pass up.

Now a commentator for Westwood One, Woodson also said he wouldn’t pay JuJu in excess of $16 million, as some reports suggest he may command on the open market.

Mike movin’ on?

Mike Hilton is undersized and was underappreciated coming into the NFL. He bounced around between the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots.

Then he got to Pittsburgh and became a mainstay with the Steelers as the nickelback for four years.

However, now he’s a free agent, and the Steelers may not be able to keep him under their salary cap based on what he is offered on the open market.

“This year I’m free and can absolutely choose where I want to go. It’s exciting,” Hilton told SiriusXM NFL Radio.

“I know how hard I’ve been working for this opportunity,” Hilton said on the “Movin’ the Chains” show. “Being in this situation —coming from being an undrafted guy — to possibly having a nice free agency this offseason, I’m blessed to be in this position.”

While Hilton was talking as if he is preparing to seriously test the free agency waters, he also let his affection for Pittsburgh to show.

“From top to bottom starting with the Rooneys, it starts with them and trickles down,” Hilton said. “Everybody knows when you become a Pittsburgh Steeler, it means much more. It’s all about winning and getting that Vince Lombardi Trophy. Their culture is second to none.

“I enjoyed my last four years here. If possible, I’d love to be back. We’ll see in the next couple of days.”

Back on Feb. 22, Pro Football Focus initially projected that the Steelers would sign Hilton to a three-year, $12 million contract. NFL.com sees Hilton as a good fit for the San Francisco 49ers since they may lose both Richard Sherman and Jason Verrett off the cornerback depth chart.

Busting on Bud

Sam Monson put together a list of overrated and underrated free agents for ESPN.com Monday. He went position by position. And for pass rusher, he nominated Bud Dupree for the overrated category.

“The problem is that he has played in an environment that gives him a lot of layups in terms of pass rushing,” Monson said. “Last season, 60.5% of Dupree’s total pressures were either unblocked, cleanup or pursuit plays, which are more circumstantial than they are evidence of plus play. By contrast, only 26% of T.J. Watt’s pressures fell into those categories.”

Monson went on to say, “Dupree can take advantage of a beneficial situation as a complementary pass-rusher, but there isn’t much evidence that he can manufacture his own elite-level production.”

OK, well, that’s not to say he’s not a good player and worth a healthy ticket on the free agent market. The Steelers were willing to pay him on the franchise tag this year after all.

Plus, every team needs two good edge defenders. That’s why the Browns wanted to sign J.J. Watt to be on the other side of Myles Garett. That’s why the Arizona Cardinals eventually got him to pair up with Chandler Jones.

Saying Dupree is a complementary rusher to T.J. Watt isn’t exactly an insult. And I felt that throughout 2019 and into the early part of 2020 he stood on his own two feet just fine. I felt he was sorely missed over the last six games for the Steelers after his torn ACL.

Monson called Dupree “a classic buyer-beware candidate” and pointed at his knee as part of the reason why.

Niagara next

After getting a first-round bye in the Atlantic Hockey playoffs, the Robert Morris men’s hockey team now knows its opponent for the quarterfinals this weekend.

The Colonials will host Niagara at Clearview Arena. That’s because the Purple Eagles beat Mercyhurst in the first round 3-2 Monday afternoon.

Highlights | Walker Sommer scored the game-winning goal in Niagara's come-from-behind 3-2 win over Mercyhurst Monday night!#Uncommon pic.twitter.com/b2LvjZrwOA

— Niagara University Men's Hockey (@NiagaraMHKY) March 9, 2021

The series will be a best-of-three with games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (if necessary) at the Island Sports Center. The winner advances to the conference’s championship weekend on March 19 and 20 at a site to be determined.

The Colonials won all four games against the Purple Eagles, twice in overtime. The other two games were a 6-1 victory on Neville Island on Jan. 31 and a 6-2 win in New York on Jan. 10.

Niagara is coached by North Allegheny graduate Jason Lammers.