First Call: Steelers may have found replacement for Brian Flores; XFL gimmicks beat Hines Ward's team in coaching debut

Monday’s “First Call” gives us a potential replacement for Brian Flores on the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff. We recap how some ex-Steelers fared in the debut weekend of the XFL. Gerrit Cole has a little dart for the Pirates.

And some heart-warming advice from the NBA’s slam dunk champ.

Replacing Flores

A replacement for Brian Flores may be coming to the Steelers coaching staff. It’s former first round-draft choice Aaron Curry. That’s according to Matt Zenitz of On3Sports.

Curry was the No. 4 overall draft choice by the Seattle Seahawks coming out of Wake Forest in 2009. He won the ‘08 Butkus Award there. He has been on the Seattle coaching staff the past four years. Last season, Curry served as an assistant defensive line/defensive ends coach. He joined Pete Carroll’s staff in ‘19 as a coaching assistant before being promoted to a defensive assistant in 2020. Curry’s coaching career began in college at the University of Charlotte.

Flores left the Steelers after one season as a senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach to become the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings. Jerry Olsavsky is still on the coaching staff as an inside linebackers coach. Denzel Martin is an assistant outside linebackers coach.

Whoever coaches the outside linebackers, it’d be nice to see the team develop some depth. Malik Reed served as the primary backup to T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith last year. He is a free agent and unlikely to be back. Jamir Jones is an exclusive rights free agent. The team recently reacquired Quincy Roche, and 2022 third-round pick DeMarvin Leal can rush off the edge.

Whether it’s a combination of those players or young talent in the draft or free agency, the Steelers definitely need more production from the depth pieces at that position.

This is the XFL … again

A number of former Steelers played a role in XFL results as the league relaunched over the weekend.

• Hines Ward’s San Antonio Brahmas lost to the St. Louis BattleHawks 18-15. And it was on this touchdown pass from A.J. McCarron to Austin Proehl.

OH MY GOSH. AUSTIN PROEHL. XFL LEGEND. THE BATTLEHAWKS HAVE THE LEAD. THIS IS MADNESS.

The @XFL2023 script writers went crazy with this one! AJ McCarron with a wild comeback in his first #XFL game. pic.twitter.com/2fctFuAmvf

— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) February 19, 2023

St. Louis used two XFL gimmicks to close an 18-3 deficit late in the fourth quarter. They converted a 3-point conversion from the 10-yard line after the team’s first touchdown.

the first XFL 3pt conversion this year pic.twitter.com/pQBTm9VW5F

— alex (@highIightheaven) February 19, 2023

The BattleHawks also followed that up with a fourth-and-15 conversion following the touchdown. The XFL has written a rule that allows teams to employ that tactic instead of an onside kick.

WE HAVE A GAME!! AJ McCarron finds Hakeem Butler for the late score for the @XFLBattlehawks.

The three point conversion is good, AND they somehow convert the 4th and 15 conversion to Austin Proehl. Chaos! #XFL @XFL2023pic.twitter.com/MbU8UtcaHW

— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) February 19, 2023

It was McCarron to Proehl on both of those passes too.

• Rod Woodson is coaching the Vegas Vipers. The Steelers Hall of Famer’s team lost to the Arlington Renegades 22-20.

Martavis Bryant had four catches for 28 yards in the Vegas loss. Fellow Viper and former Steeler training camp darling Matthew Sexton had two catches for 27 yards. On the other sideline, another ex-Latrobe standout, Tyler Vaughns, led the Renegades with 38 yards on four catches.

• The D.C. Defenders beat Ben DiNucci (Pitt/Pine-Richland) and the Seattle Sea Dragons, 22-14. Seattle is coached by former Steelers defensive coordinator Jim Haslett.

• Ex-Steelers quarterback Paxton Lynch threw this touchdown to former NFL wide receiver Cody Latimer, despite what initially appeared to be an interception by one-time Steelers safety Sean Davis.

WILD. The first touchdown for the Orlando Guardians comes on a pass from Paxton Lynch to Cody Latimer. Sean Davis fought for the pick, but it was ultimately ruled a touchdown.

Should this call have been reversed? #XFLpic.twitter.com/IhQkoMu0mS

— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) February 19, 2023

However, Davis’ Houston Roughnecks still managed to take down Lynch and his Orlando Guardians 33-12.

This was the first time games have been played under new league ownership, spearheaded by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The second edition of the league entered bankruptcy after canceling its games in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The original XFL ran for a single season in 2001.

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Shots fired!

This one came out of left field. Or maybe directly from the pitcher’s mound.

Former Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole asked if he’s confident that his New York Yankees team has what it takes to win a World Series. In this age of everyone looking to be offended, his response could’ve been viewed as taking a swat at the Pirates, if you are looking to be offended.

Or it simply could’ve been viewed as giving an honest response. However you prefer to interpret it.

“Maybe there was a bit more ‘hope’ when I was on the Pirates,” Cole said.

Gerrit Cole is asked if he's always confident that his team has what it takes to win a World Series:

"Maybe there was a bit more 'hope' when I was on the Pirates" pic.twitter.com/PpZCtj0CMU

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 16, 2023

Eh, now that I hear it, in this case, maybe it’s a little of both.

I get what Cole is saying. With the Yankees, there is always a presumption that you can, should and will win a World Series every year because the resources are vast. In Pittsburgh, like in 2013-15, there’s a “hope” the stars align and you can pull it off.

For three years, the hope nearly came to fruition for Cole and the Buccos. But it never did.

So I get the differentiation that Cole is making. But, yeah, I can see why some Pirates fans took it as a dig too.

Advice taken

Mac McClung of the Philadelphia 76ers won the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest over the weekend. He did so by turning in a stellar four-pack of dunks.

All 4 of Mac McClung's dunks from the NBA dunk contest... all of them on the FIRST TRY pic.twitter.com/odnuzeRBSs

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 19, 2023

After the event, McClung had some words of advice. “It’s a cliche, but you can really do whatever it is you want to do,” McClung said.

Dreams to reality.

Mac McClung speaks on doing whatever you put your mind to #ATTSlamDunk | #StateFarmSaturday pic.twitter.com/oFcJJ6QRLC

— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2023

Well, what I really want to do is … dunk. Just once in my life. And, at 5-foot-6, based on McClung’s advice, I’m going to go outside and try to do just that sometime today.

I’ll report back Tuesday and let all of you know how that turned out.