First Call: Ben Roethlisberger’s advice for Joey Porter Jr.; Seahawks injury news
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After a few days off for Christmas, “First Call” is back with a stuffed stocking of Pittsburgh Steelers tidbits.
The Seattle Seahawks are getting good news on the injury front in advance of their game against the Steelers on Sunday. However, a Steelers’ AFC rival may not be so lucky at quarterback.
We also have the latest on T.J. Watt’s Defensive Player of the Year odds, Ben Roethlisberger’s advice for Joey Porter Jr., and details on the officiating crew for Sunday’s game in Seattle.
Help for ’Hawks
The Seahawks could be getting a boost in the injury department in advance of hosting the Steelers on Sunday.
According to coach Pete Carroll, standout rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon may be on the path to play against the Steelers. Witherspoon has missed the past two games with a hip pointer. During a weekly appearance on Seattle Sports 710 AM, Carroll said, “He’s running today. That’s a really good sign. He tried really hard on (Sunday). He was out there, trying to get it done — (to) see if he could get through it. He just couldn’t get loosened up enough to go. So, let’s all keep our fingers crossed. I just want to see the guy play football some more. We love watching him.”
Meanwhile, Carroll seemed less optimistic about linebacker Jordyn Brooks. He left Sunday’s win in Tennessee with an ankle injury.
“His ankle was sore,” Carroll said via the team’s website. “There’s a question there. It’s going to be hard to get him back.”
However, Carroll made it sound like safety Jamal Adams — who has missed two games in a row with a knee injury — has a chance to suit up against the Steelers.
“Jamal wants to try,” Carroll said. “He’s going to see where he is. He’s had some rest now. He may be able to bounce this week. We’ll find out. I don’t know the answer to that yet.”
The take on T.J.
There is clearly a “Big 3” right now when it comes to NFL Defensive Player of the Year odds.
And Steelers star T.J. Watt is stuck in third place.
According to DraftKings.com, Watt is at plus-320 odds to win the award. That’s behind the favorite, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons at minus-115 and Cleveland Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett at plus-110.
After those three, there is a massive drop-off to Cowboys corner DaRon Bland at plus-3000.
Watt has 17 sacks to lead the NFL. Parsons and Garrett have 13 apiece. Bland has an NFL-high eight interceptions and 14 (seventh in the league) passes defended.
Makes sense when you think about it
During his latest “Footbahlin’” podcast, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger praised the play of rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
“He’s a physical football player. He gets his hands on people. And so I love that they just let him play,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s playing as well as any rookie, not just (a) corner, but rookie in this league. … He’s playing really well. (He) should get some definite consideration for Rookie of the Year.”
But that “getting hands on people” thing has become a bit of a problem. The first-year Penn State product has drawn 12 penalty flags this year. Only three players have been flagged more often. Only one of them is a defensive back. Kansas City’s L’Jarius Sneed has been flagged 16 times.
Roethlisberger has a suggestion for Porter.
“He should put the same-colored gloves on as the opposing jersey,” Roethlisberger said. “He wore those bright yellow gloves, and it just sticks out like a sore thumb.”
I’m not sure if that would be a uniform code violation. But if it isn’t, maybe Porter should give it a shot.
Or he could just avoid reaching and grabbing so much.
More sports
• Winning out provides clearest, but not only, path for Steelers to reach the AFC playoffs
• Tim Benz: Kenny Pickett’s injury provides cover more than it does strategy for Mike Tomlin
• Pectoral injury will keep Elandon Roberts from suiting up for Steelers against Seahawks
While we are on the topic
Maybe this won’t be such a bad week for Porter when it comes to flags. The Footballzerbas.com website reports that Shaun Hoculi’s crew is officiating the Steelers-Seahawks game on Sunday.
Via NFLPenalties.com, Hoculi’s crew has only thrown eight defensive pass interference penalties in 14 games, just 0.57 per contest. They have made 11 defensive holding calls per game.
Of the 17 crews, Hoculi’s is tied for eighth in flags thrown (204). Those include 34 offensive holds and 14 roughing-the-passer penalties.
It was Hoculi’s crew that worked the Steelers’ 13-10 loss to the Browns in Cleveland this year. There were 10 flags that day, nine against the Steelers (six accepted) and just one against Cleveland.
Eyeing up the odds
When it comes to the Steelers making the playoffs, the team has to track three of the four teams in the AFC South. The Jaguars, Texans and Colts are all 8-7. They’ve all beaten the Steelers.
It’d help if the first-place Jaguars lose one of their last two games so that if they get bumped out of the top spot and into the wild-card morass with the Steelers, they will do so at no better than 9-8. That way, if the Steelers win their last two games and improve to 10-7, they wouldn’t have to overcome the head-to-head tie-breaker issue.
Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence is dealing with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder. Lawrence’s status for this week’s game at home against the Panthers remains uncertain.
Coach Doug Pederson isn’t expecting Lawrence to practice much Wednesday.
“It’s a little bit early,” Pederson said via the Jaguars’ website. “He may do a little something tomorrow, but I would doubt that. It’s a little bit too soon. We’ll see as the day, as the week, goes on.”
Lawrence is dealing with a new injury for the third week in a row. He sprained an ankle in Week 14 and suffered a concussion in Week 15.
“He has been fortunate enough to bounce back from all of them,” Lawrence said. “We’ll see as he goes this week where he’s at. We’ve been fortunate that he has been able to be available every week so far.”
The Jags will win the AFC South if they win both of their remaining games against the Panthers and Tennessee Titans.