First call: Liberty coach thinks Steelers will take Willis’ owner if available; Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert say QBs are still on the table in the draft

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Monday’s “First Call” checked Mason Rudolph’s state of mind as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ apparent center stage remained ahead. One college coach thinks the quarterback might be joining Pittsburgh. Marc-Andre Fleury’s debut in Minnesota was a success.

There was no rest on Sunday for the Eastern Ice Hockey Conference.


What’s on Mason’s mind?

If Mason Rudolph is feeling overwhelmed by the Steelers’ decision to hire Mitch Trubisky to compete for the center party start, he’s doing a pretty good job of hiding it.

Appearance on Friday Rich Eisen ShowRudolph didn’t seem to be put off by the addition of Trubisky to the mid-room.

“My condition is finally being able to compete to be the key midfielder,” said Rudolph. “I think there’s a lot to get excited about. The pieces are all around us. We’ve ramped up the line, we’ve got a great couple of receivers, a guy running back and he’s a worker. There’s a lot to be excited about.”

He also paid tribute to coach Mike Tomlin, despite Tomlin’s apparent interest in several notable midfielders in this year’s draft.

“He has had my back for a long time. We have a lot of fun casual conversations.” Rudolph said. “We’ve all been on teams where the coaches are the ‘CEOs,’ and they kind of fall back into the shadows, and he does a great job communicating.”

Where Tomlin’s support for Rudolph was The most obvious It was in the aftermath of a Miles Jarrett helmet-swinging accident. Despite suggestions that Rudolph used racial slurs to send Garrett to his tantrum, Tomlin I stood excitedly behind Rudolph.

But despite Tomlin’s support for Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins, one of them is likely to disappear before the season starts if the team chooses to draft the quarterback in the first two rounds, as many dummy drafts suggest.

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Speaking of that…

Both Tomlin and General Manager Kevin Colbert said Sunday that Trubesky’s signature don’t stop them Who picks the top quarterback in next month’s draft.

Tomlin referred to last week’s round of NFL Days that featured high-profile college players (like Liberty Malik Willis, Kenny Beckett-Bates and Desmond Ryder of Cincinnati) as “Quarterback Week.”

Well, that ‘week’ has been extended, as Colbert will be attending North Carolina’s Sam Howell Pro Day on Monday. Tomlin will not be around because he needs to continue attending league meetings. and Tomlin He said he’s upset About not being able to be there in person.


“Give me freedom, or give me… that defensive lineman from Georgia?”

There is no doubt that Willis’s athletic strength and arm strength intrigue the Steelers. Tomlin and Colbert kept a close eye on him in both his pro day and senior Paul.

But according to ESPN Project analyst Todd McShie on the “First Draft” podcast, the franchise loves him so much that Liberty coach Hugh Freeze tells him the Steelers want him in the 20th pick if Willis’s name is still on the board when the Steelers project is in the first round.

Mike Tomlin loves this guy. McShay quotes on Frieze. “Even Mike said when we spoke, we’d like him to be with us. We don’t know if we can get it.”

Before this quote can be taken as fact, Tomlin seems to be putting this idea into ether for a few possibilities. he is made a similar comment About Jordan Davis’ defensive tackle when he was on Georgia’s pro day.

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Also, don’t forget, VSiN’s Sean King gave a similar story About the Steelers’ alleged interest in Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, if he avoided indictment (as he did) earlier this month.

Watson has been publicly courted by at least four teams. The Steelers weren’t one of them. If they had an interest, it would never be published, and Watson ended up with the Cleveland Browns.


flower is fine

Former Penguin Marc-Andre Fleury made his first debut as a member of the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. He was traded to this team from the Chicago Blackhawks ahead of Monday’s deadline.

Fleury and Wild won the home match over the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-2. Fleury stopped 23 of the 25 rounds along the way.

During the break segment that was played on TNT, Florey Confirmed reports appeared A few months ago suggesting he didn’t want any part of playing in Washington. There was talk that the Capitals wanted Fleury to improve on their goal, but he didn’t want to be part of a team that was a big competitor to him during his 13 years with the Penguins.

After the match, Florey paid tribute to his former Penguins teammate, Bill Guerin, who is now Wild’s general manager.

Wilde’s other goalkeeper, Cam Talbot, started Sunday against the Colorado Avalanche. Minnesota won that game 3-2 in overtime. Colorado has a 14-point lead over second-placed Wilde at the head of the Central Division.

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oriental work

As the Penguins crushed the Detroit Red Wings 11-2 on Sunday, their next opponent was the overtime winner at Buffalo.

The New York Rangers defeated the Buffalo Sabers 5-4. This means that New York has 89 points. Penguins have 90. Carolina hurricanes top the D.C. section with 93.

The Rangers and the Penguins play each other on Tuesday night at the PPG Paints Arena. New York won the Friday match between the two teams 5-1.

Meanwhile, in the Atlantic Division, the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated New York Islanders 4-1. The Florida Panthers, who top the division in Toronto, lost 5-2.

This means that Florida is in the lead with 94 points. Lightning comes in second place with 88 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins are tied for third and fourth with identical records 41-19-5 (87 points).

Tim Benz is a Tribune Review writer. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets can be reposted. All emails are subject to posting unless otherwise stated.

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