First Call: Titans player seeks forgiveness for 'spitting' at T.J. Watt; Pitt-UNC got tense during and after the game

If Taylor Lewan really wants to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, he better start making good with one of the franchise’s star players.

Tom Brady’s retirement brought some fond memories to mind for a former Steeler. Kurt Warner has fun with a tough anniversary in his career.

The Penguins got an assist from the Metropolitan Division leaders. And the Pitt-North Carolina basketball game got tense during play and after the game ended.

All that in Thursday’s “First Call.”

Taylor and T.J.

Pending free-agent offensive tackle Taylor Lewan has already expressed an interest in coming to the Steelers. But it appears that he may have some fences to mend.

In a recent Twitter post, Lewan admitted that he has tried to get Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt on his podcast “Bussin’ With The Boys” three times. But Watt won’t do it.

Apparently, that’s because Lewan — by his own admission — once spit in Watt’s face and hit him below the belt.

Yeah. That might be an issue.

But Lewan said he wanted to extend an “olive branch” and smooth over any “bad teammate vibes” in case he is released by the Tennessee Titans (as expected) and winds up a Steeler.

It’s entirely possible this is all a staged ploy to drum up interest in the podcast if Watt does do a guest hit. If not, though, then Lewan probably shouldn’t hold his breath. Either for Watt appearing on the podcast, or for signing with the Steelers.

The Tennessee Titans tackle missed most of the 2022 season with a knee injury. He signed a five-year, $80 million contract extension with Tennessee in 2018, but injuries have limited him to just 20 total games over the last three years.

If the Steelers do add a tackle of significance, it’ll likely be in the draft.

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Tough to forget

Wednesday marked the 14th anniversary of the Steelers’ Super Bowl XLIII victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

That means it was also the 14th anniversary of the game-winning touchdown connection between Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes and James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return.

Kurt Warner was the Arizona quarterback who threw that pick-6. At least he has a sense of humor about it.

Yep!!! https://t.co/KYmSim9nKy

— Kurt Warner (@kurt13warner) February 1, 2023

Warner ended the night with 377 yards through the air and three touchdowns. But Holmes wound up with the MVP, and Harrison wound up with the biggest play of the game.

Ah, the memories

Tom Brady’s retirement on Wednesday brought former Steeler Vince Williams down memory lane. He posted a video clip of his interception of Brady during a game at (then) Heinz Field in 2017.

The hardest games I’ve ever played were always against Tom Brady, the Goat. Gonna miss those 2 minute drills. pic.twitter.com/IlxonL2mio

— Vince Williams (@VinnyVidiVici98) February 1, 2023

It’s a good thing Williams didn’t show any highlights of that game from late in the fourth quarter. If his ex-teammate Jesse James is on Twitter, that may have been too much for him to handle.

Williams had one other interception in his career. It went back for a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers in 2018.

What is this all about?

Pitt secured a big 65-64 win over North Carolina on Wednesday in Chapel Hill. Tensions ran hot a few times on the floor, and that apparently carried over to the Pitt locker room.

According to Pittsburgh Sports Now, Panthers assistant coach Jason Capel — a former UNC player — could be heard yelling, “Y’all gonna disrespect me? All I did for this program? Y’all gonna boo me? I held this (expletive) together when (former coach) Matt Doherty tore it apart.”

Capel was referring to his senior year with the Tar Heels, when he was the captain and leading scorer, but the squad went 8-20 under Doherty.

During a post-game interview, Panthers head coach Jeff Capel suggested that his brother may have been upset by a tweet sent out by UNC’s social media team in advance of the game. PSN believes that the tweet in question was promoting the game by showing walk-on Creighton Lebo sticking his tongue out while wearing jersey No. 25 — the same one worn by Jason Capel as a Tar Heel.

???????????????????????????? at home.

Pittsburgh
7:00 PM ET
Chapel Hill, NC
ACC Network pic.twitter.com/hbgCtO0NID

— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) February 1, 2023

“I thought it was them trolling him,” Jeff Capel said. “It’s a complicated relationship with him and North Carolina. He loves it, but I think at times he doesn’t feel that back.”

Capel said that issue dates back to the 2009 Elite Eight. He was coaching Oklahoma and they were facing Carolina. Jason Capel showed up to support his brother wearing an Oklahoma shirt. Carolina fans there didn’t like it and gave him a hard time. Jeff Capel claimed that some UNC alumni had to intervene and quell the situation.

Help from above

The Penguins have been off since Saturday’s 6-4 loss to the San Jose Sharks. They won’t play again until a home date against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.

However, the team did get some help Wednesday from the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes; they beat up the Buffalo Sabres 5-1. Sebastian Aho scored an early power-play goal to begin the party.

Sebastian Aho surface of the sun

on fire pic.twitter.com/E1qLOTtZUe

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) February 2, 2023

This was Aho’s sixth-straight game with a goal for the ‘Canes. They have won seven straight and sit atop the Metro with 76 points. That’s good for an eight-point cushion on the second-place New Jersey Devils.

The benefit for the Penguins is that the Sabres didn’t pick up any points thanks to the regulation loss. So that means the Pens will go into the All-Star break with a one-point lead on Buffalo for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Buffalo got additional bad news during the game. Star forward Tage Thompson got hurt. He didn’t play in the third period because of an upper-body injury. Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News says there is no word about his availability for the NHL All-Star Game. It is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. in Sunrise, Fla.

Thompson missed Monday’s practice because of an upper-body injury and was initially questionable for Wednesday’s contest. It’s not clear if Thompson left the game because of the same upper-body injury or due to a new issue. The 25-year-old entered Wednesday’s action with 34 goals and 68 points through 49 games.