First Call: Former Steelers rival says Russell Wilson will come to Pittsburgh; Big Ben's Mike Tomlin-Bill Cowher comparison

A former rival of the Pittsburgh Steelers sure sounds like he is pushing Russell Wilson toward Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger draws an interesting comparison between Mike Tomlin and Bill Cowher. We check in on some legal issues surrounding a budding Baltimore Ravens star.

Plus, we bid a fond farewell to an all-time classic actor from sports movie lore.

All that in Wednesday’s “First Call.”

Danger … us?

A former Pro Bowl wide receiver says a former Pro Bowl quarterback is going to end up in Pittsburgh.

Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson told Shannon Sharpe on their “Nightcap” podcast that Russell Wilson is going to the Steelers.

Chad Johnson says #Broncos QB Russell Wilson will join the #Steelers this season.

"A little birdie told me, and I said this many shows ago, Russell Wilson's coming on over to the Steelers."

????????????????????????#NFL pic.twitter.com/imeULie9qE

— The Standard (@TheStandard412) February 20, 2024

“A little birdie told me, and I said this many shows ago, Russell Wilson’s coming on over to the Steelers,” Johnson said.

Up until now, I’ve known Johnson to have as many sources as he does Super Bowl rings (0), but if he scores on this one, that would be a grand slam.

I’m just curious if Johnson’s “birdie” has ever taken up a perch in the Steelers’ South Side facility or the office of Wilson’s agent. Because if not, then this “birdie” is useless to me.

Almost as useless as I think Wilson would be as quarterback of the Steelers.

Too old. Too much baggage. Too little return on investment. Give me Kirk Cousins, Justin Fields or a top-100 draft choice before Russell Wilson.

Big Ben on Bill Cowher

Ben Roethlisberger joined the “Alpha 5 Method” podcast with fellow former Steeler Bruce Gradkowski recently.

Gradkowski, a Seton LaSalle product, asked Roethlisberger about his early relationship with his first NFL coach, Bill Cowher.

“He treated me like a crappy rookie,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s like, ‘Ben, I could have treated you like the greatest thing since sliced bread and put you up there because you were winning games, or I could have treated you like I did, and I chose that route because I felt like that was what was best for you.”

That tracks with Cowher and everything we’ve heard about how he handled Roethlisberger. Although I’d argue “treated me like a crappy rookie” is a bit hyperbolic. The Steelers had plenty of crappy rookies under Cowher. And he treated them very differently than he treated Roethlisberger.

But what Roethlisberger said next was of particular interest to me.

“It wasn’t like you were with Coach Tomlin,” Roethlisberger said. “You were like, kind of buddies — could go talk to him or whatever. The old ‘open door policy’? I never went in the open door. I didn’t want to go in and talk to Coach Cowher. That was the last thing I wanted to do.”

Roethlisberger confirming how much of a laid-back players’ coach Tomlin is as opposed to Cowher isn’t exactly a surprise. But using the word “buddies” to describe player relationships with Tomlin will only fan the flames from Steelers fans and media that Tomlin isn’t hard enough on the players who need it.

Something the last seven years of results would suggest is 100% true.

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News on Zay Flowers

For now, it appears that Baltimore Ravens rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers will not face criminal charges.

The Baltimore County Police investigation of domestic violence allegations against him has been suspended without any charges being filed. That’s according to ProFootballTalk.com.

PFT says that according to documents released by police, the investigation could be reopened if more information comes to light.

Police were investigating an alleged assault that took place in Owings Mills, Md., in January. The alleged victim made her initial report to police in Acton, Mass. Flowers played college football at Boston College.

The Ravens provided no public comment.

Beloved villain

One of the great bad guys in movie history, actor Paul D’Amato, died Monday. He played Tim “Dr. Hook” McCracken in the 1977 hockey classic “Slap Shot.”

McCracken was one of the feared antagonists of the Syracuse Bulldogs, the rivals of Reg Dunlop (Paul Newman) and the Charlestown Chiefs.

Via “The Daily Faceoff,” D’Amato died at the age of 75 after a four-year battle with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare brain disease. He played hockey at Emerson College in Boston while studying acting.

D’Amato was also in another hockey movie in 1977, “The Deadliest Season.” His other film credits include “The Deer Hunter” (1978), “Firepower” (1979) and “Heaven’s Gate” (1980).

As recently as 2019, D’Amato was working in a ski shop in Vermont.