Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens is unhappy with the Pro Bowl. Again.
The Baltimore Ravens are getting a big name in reserve for their offensive backfield. The Penguins don’t have much time to recover from their wild Thursday night affair in Boston.
Plus, we take a look at the weekend’s local college basketball and hockey scenes.
All that in Friday’s “First Call.”
For the second time in two years as a pro, Steelers wide receiver George Pickens is voicing his displeasure about failing to be chosen for the Pro Bowl.
In May, the former Georgia Bulldog said he felt “snubbed” by being left out of the festivities following his rookie season. Now, based on his Instagram story, Pickens is grousing about being left off once again.
Pickens posted a mostly black screen and in the bottom left corner wrote “F the prow Bowl.” Then he added another derogatory not-safe-for-work comment.
This year Pickens is 12th in the NFL in receiving yards (1,140) but is only 29th in catches (63). At 18.1 yards per reception, only Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers has a better number (18.3) this season. With 22 receptions of over 20 yards, Pickens is fifth in the NFL in that category.
But Pickens’ push for that award probably came a little late, as 326 of his yards came over the last two weeks once Mason Rudolph was inserted at quarterback.
Tyreek Hill (Miami Dolphins), Amari Cooper (Cleveland Browns), Keenan Allen (Los Angeles Chargers) and Ja’Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals) are the AFC receivers. All four of those players have more catches and yards than Pickens.
The Baltimore Ravens are adding a former All-Pro to their roster in time for the playoffs. But he won’t be with the club in time to face the Steelers on Saturday.
On Thursday, NFL Network Insider
In 15 games with the Jets in 2023, Cook ran the ball just 67 times (214 yards). He added 15 receptions for 78 yards. Cook didn’t score a touchdown with New York. He had 52 in his first six NFL seasons with Minnesota.
Cook signed with the Jets prior to this season after he averaged 1,254 rush yards with the Vikings over his previous four campaigns.
The NHL is squishing a home game in between two road games for the Penguins Saturday night. The Buffalo Sabres are in town at 7 p.m.
Both teams lit the lamp on Thursday. The Penguins outscored the Boston Bruins 6-5 at TD Garden. Sidney Crosby had three points to lead the Pens. Lars Eller had this rifle shot, too.
Meanwhile, the Sabres blitzed the Canadiens 6-1 in Montreal. Buffalo’s Tage Thompson had two goals and an assist. Rookie goalie Devon Levi, a Dollard-des-Ormeaux native, made 32 saves in his first game at the nearby Bell Centre.
The Penguins are now 19-14-4. That’s still only good enough for 42 points, tied with New Jersey and Washington for fifth through seventh in the Metropolitan division. They are all one-point behind Tampa Bay for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
As for Buffalo, they have 36 points (16-19-4). Only two teams in the East, Columbus (34) and Ottawa (28), have fewer.
The Pens then hit the road to play the Flyers in Philadelphia Monday night.
There is plenty of college basketball action coming up this weekend. The Pitt Panthers (9-5) are looking to bounce back from dropping their first three ACC games.
Jeff Capel’s team has lost to Clemson, Syracuse and North Carolina already in conference. Saturday they visit Louisville at noon. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Panthers an 85% chance to beat the 5-8 Cardinals.
Duquesne (9-4) is on the road to face Loyola-Chicago at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Dukes lost by 19 (80-61) in their Atlantic 10 opening defeat at UMass on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Des Watson’s 24 points helped the Ramblers defeat Saint Louis 80-73 in their conference opener on Wednesday night.
As for Robert Morris, the Colonials smoked IUPUI 92-48 Thursday night. Both teams are now 5-11 and 1-4 in Horizon League play. The Colonials next play at home against Wright State on Wednesday.
As for each school’s women’s team, they all play Sunday. Duquesne hosts George Mason at noon. Robert Morris is also at home against Oakland at noon. Pitt welcomes Georgia Tech at 2 p.m.
The Robert Morris men’s hockey team returns from Christmas vacation this weekend. They host Stonehill for games at Clearview Arena Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (5 p.m.).
The two teams are in similar situations. RMU (4-13-3) is in its first season since the program was rebooted following a two-year absence. The Skyhawks (0-18-0) are playing their first official season in the NCAA.
After the Stonehill series, the Colonials travel to No.9 Minnesota for a two-game series on January 12-13. Colonials goaltender Chad Veltri is currently ranked first in the nation in saves with 648.
On the women’s side, coach Logan Biddle’s team (7-13-0) is off this weekend. They host Lindenwood next weekend.
