“First Call” is back after a long holiday weekend. Steelers star T.J. Watt is on the receiving end of some trash talk from his brother, J.J. We investigate how Jadeveon Clowney almost became a Baltimore Raven. We check up on Charlie Morton’s comeback.

And it’s been a year since Antonio Brown signed with the New England Patriots.

No, seriously. It’s only been a year.

“Happy” anniversary?

Can you believe it was only a year ago that Antonio Brown signed with the New England Patriots?

NESN sent a reminder Monday morning.

One year ago today, business was "boomin" in Foxboro as the Patriots signed Antonio Brown for what turned out to be just 11 days. @coxcourtney | #Patriots | https://t.co/PsDIkSSy3F pic.twitter.com/YdnSdPgsUr

— NESN (@NESN) September 7, 2020

Brown had pouted his way out of Oakland following freezing his feet in a cryochamber and getting a helmet he didn’t like. All this after forcing his way out of Pittsburgh six months earlier. That’s when Brown showed off his happiness with his infamous “I’m free” celebration on social media.

Once the Raiders released him, the Patriots pounced.

Over the next 11 days, Brown signed with the Patriots. Moved in with Tom Brady. Watched as his new team beat the Steelers. Was hit with allegations of sexual and personal misconduct. Caught a touchdown during a Week 2 win against the Miami Dolphins in his debut. Allegedly sent intimidating text messages to one of his accusers. And got cut.

All within two calendar weeks. He hasn’t been on an NFL roster since. Yet he has managed to be in the headlines on a monthly — if not weekly — basis.

It feels as if that happened in the 1940s or something. In my mind’s eye, I remember his Oakland Raiders stint on “Hard Knocks” as if it was shot in black-and-white footage.

Brotherly barb

Houston Texans star J.J. Watt is going to go down as one of the best defensive linemen ever. He already has 96 sacks and has been the defensive player of the year three times.

His younger brother, T.J., is blossoming into a perennial candidate in Pittsburgh as well. T.J. Watt received his first first-team All-Pro nomination after last season and finished third in defensive player of the year balloting.

Six years separate the two Pro Bowlers. So T.J. has a chance to track down some of those accolades. But the older brother isn’t quite ready to bequeath top billing within the family just yet.

J.J. Watt @JJ on T.J. Watt @_TJWatt 'I love watching him play. It's exciting. There's a whole lot of competition going on and I have no plans to let him win anytime soon. Once he has three Defensive Player of the Year awards, I'll see him as a peer'

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 7, 2020

The two brothers will have a chance to watch one another in Week 1 of the NFL season. The Texans play the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs Thursday night. The Steelers don’t play until Monday in New York.

Middle brother Derek Watt makes his debut with the Steelers that night as well. Houston comes to Pittsburgh on Sept. 27.

Close for Clowney

Speaking of standout pass rushers, Jadeveon Clowney ended his free agency stint. He signed with the Tennessee Titans.

But there had been reports via the NFL Network that the Saints were trying to figure out a way to circumvent the salary cap by arranging a sign-and-trade situation with the Cleveland Browns.

ProFootballTalk.com reports, though, that if the league would’ve allowed such a move, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens would’ve figured out a bigger deal that would’ve landed Clowney in the AFC North.

“Per multiple sources, if the league had given the green light to the sign-and-trade concept, Clowney would have ended up not with the Saints but with the Baltimore Ravens … Once the league told the Saints that it couldn’t happen, the strategy was abandoned. If a different answer had been obtained, the Saints would have found out soon thereafter that the Jaguars would have been signing Clowney, and that the Jaguars would have been trading him to Baltimore.”

So, from a Steelers fan perspective, be glad the league blocked the move. Because in either scenario, one of their rivals would’ve benefited from the sign and trade. The Browns would’ve gotten trade capital from the Saints, or the Ravens would have acquired Clowney.

As it stands, the Steelers still have to stop him anyway. They visit Tennessee Oct. 4.

More from Morton

Former Pirate Charlie Morton continues to make his way back from injury in Tampa.

The Rays right hander had his second start since returning from the injured list Wednesday. He and the rest of his Tampa teammates squared off against Max Scherzer and the Washington Nationals Monday night.

Morton threw two innings without allowing a run during a 5-2 win against the New York Yankees last week. Versus the Nationals Monday, he suffered the loss allowing three earned runs in five innings pitched. Morton is now 1-2 with an ERA of 4.94.

As for Scherzer, he racked up eight strikeouts over seven shutout innings to earn the win. He’s 4-2 with a 3.40 ERA after that start.

The Nationals ended up winning 6-1.

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