First Call: Kenny Pickett emulated this Saints player; bad memories for Steelers against Saints coach
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Thursday’s “First Call” has an interesting anecdote from Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett. There is some unfortunate history against the Saints and their head coach that Mike Tomlin is going to have to overcome.
Micah Parsons is trying to lure a free-agent star to Dallas. And a few of Duquesne’s former players opened eyes in their debuts with new teams.
How ‘bout ‘Honey Badger’?
Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett had an interesting revelation about a New Orleans Saints player he used to emulate when he was growing up.
Drew Brees, right?
Nope. Defensive back Tyrann Mathieu.
“I used to watch his tape before high school games,” Pickett said of Mathieu. “So, it’ll be cool going against him. Great instinct player… I played DB. I played both ways in high school. I would watch a Tyrann Mathieu tape before high school games.”
In particular, Pickett liked the confidence with which “Honey Badger” patrolled the secondary.
“Just the swag he plays with. He plays with an edge, and I liked watching that in high school when I used to play some corner and safety. So, definitely coming full circle now facing off against him on Sunday,” Pickett continued.
After his media session, I asked Pickett if he ever got any recruiting looks as a defensive back instead of a quarterback at Ocean Township High School. He said not exclusively. But he claimed Monmouth did try to recruit him as a two-way player.
Pickett eventually committed to Temple before changing that commitment to Pitt.
Bad memories
Dennis Allen is 3-6 in his first year as New Orleans Saints head coach. He was just 8-28 as the head coach of the (then) Oakland Raiders.
But, as Saints Wire pointed out, two of those victories came against the Steelers.
In 2012, the Steelers lost a 34-31 shootout in Oakland. The Steelers also dropped a 21-18 decision in Oakland the next year. That was the infamous game featuring a Terrelle Pryor 93-yard touchdown run.
The Saints are the only team that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin hasn’t beaten in his 16 seasons. He is 0-3 against New Orleans.
Eye on Olave
Saints rookie wide receiver Chris Olave is off to a fantastic start to his NFL career.
The former Ohio State Buckeye has 43 catches (16th in the NFL), 618 yards (ninth in the NFL) and two touchdowns.
ESPN.com published a list of top rookies in the NFL through the halfway point of the season, and Olave was rated second behind New York Jets corner Sauce Gardener.
“Smooth in the route tree and showcasing the vertical stretch ability to float past defenders, Olave has impressed as a perimeter target early in his NFL career,” said ESPN’s Matt Bowen. “The rookie has already logged seven explosive-play receptions this season, and his ability to separate opens up opportunities at the second level of the field, too.”
Crispy route running by the rookie @chrisolave_ #Saints
: #BALvsNO on ESPN
: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/ItTaAQcu0C pic.twitter.com/XOWY40ejPK— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2022
Pickett was in the “big questions” category of the voting.
Parsons’ pitch
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is recovering from his knee injury suffered in the Super Bowl. There should be a host of teams interested in acquiring him once he is medically capable of playing again.
One of those teams appears to be the Dallas Cowboys. They are in need of wide receiver help. Star linebacker and Penn State product Micah Parsons made his pitch to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“We can use him,” Parsons said. “I think he’s a great player. He’ll expand this offense. He’ll do more. He brings a lot. He’s a guy you want on the team. Besides all that critic stuff that people make up. I think he’s a great dude from my experience with him and every time I see him. He can add real value to the team and help us do what we want to do.”
Running back Ezekiel Elliott cosigns.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott: "We want him. We want OBJ" pic.twitter.com/SvB7Ylp2Mo
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) November 9, 2022
Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer expects Odell Beckham Jr. to be fully cleared to play this week.
Moving on
The Duquesne basketball team got off to a great start with a 91-63 win over Montana Tuesday. That win snapped a 17-game losing streak from last season.
Meanwhile, former Dukes guard Primo Spears played a big role in ending a similar streak with his new team. The Georgetown transfer helped the Hoyas end a 21-game losing streak in their season opener Tuesday against Coppin State.
Spears had 28 points en route to the victory.
PRIMO SPEARS CAME TO PLAY @primo_spears | @GeorgetownHoops pic.twitter.com/oU7vixeVZS
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) November 9, 2022
Meanwhile, another former Duquesne player, Mounir Hima, had a basket, two rebounds and two blocks over eight minutes for Syracuse as the Orange were thumping Lehigh 90-72 Monday. As for Jackie Johnson III, he had 10 points for UNLV in a 66-56 win over Southern on Tuesday.