First call: Mike Tomlin reveals plan for Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Sullivan confirms plan for Kasperi Kapanen



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About an hour ago

What are the Pittsburgh Steelers planning to do with Ben Roethlisberger on Sunday?

We find out in Friday’s “First Call”.

We also have news from the Penguins, a little rumbling around the Baltimore Ravens, and good news for a former Penn State / WPIAL.


here is the plan

According to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, the Steelers have a plan in place for Ben Roethlisberger to work if he is allowed to play against the Bengals on Sunday.

The quarterback was considered a high-risk candidate after coming close to a “certain Steeler” who tested positive for covid-19 after the organization’s victory in Dallas last weekend.

If Roethlisberger’s tests on Thursday and Friday are negative, he may be part of the team’s Saturday procedure before the Cincinnati game.

But according to Glazer, the team can use this “Saturday walkthrough” as a practice.

You must love Terry Bradshaw at the end of that clip over there, right? “Oh! He will beat him.

Like Big Ben can “kill” the virus using pure determination, right?


Bengals hit

Bengals running back Joe Mixon did not practice Thursday. He is the team’s best runner (428 yards).

The franchise was hoping to get him back this weekend after a goodbye. But, apparently, a nagging foot injury did not heal. Mixon also missed the previous two games.

Via ProFootballTalk, if Mixon can’t play, veteran Giovani Bernard will start. He rushed for 62 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans two weeks ago. He also had a touchdown reception.

The Bengals also missed Geno Atkins (personal reasons) in training on Thursday. Tackle Bobby Hart (knee) and cornerback Darius Phillips (groin) were also out. Receiver John Ross (foot), cornerback LeShaun Sims (concussion) and tackle Jonah Williams (stinger) were limited.


Baltimore Return

This week, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson told “The Rich Eisen Show” that opposing defensemen were announcing his offense ahead of the snap.

“They call our parts, stuff like that,” Jackson said. “They know what we’re doing. Sometimes things don’t go our way if they beat us up.

“Like, ‘run’ and stuff like that. “Watch out for that, watch out for that. Sometimes that’s what happens.

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman defended his attack on Thursday against concerns the Ravens had become too predictable.

“Announcing defensive games is nothing new. I can talk about Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, each piece they’re trying to guess which piece you’re going to play based on what they see. It’s a chess match, ”said Roman.

Many are taking up Alex Highsmith’s comments after the Steelers beat Baltimore two weeks ago as an example.

The rookie linebacker had an interception in the second half. He claims he knew the game was coming because he remembered it looking similar in the first half.

“When this game started I knew they would come back to it,” Highsmith said after that game. “I learned from this play. I just went down deeper. And the ball fell into my hands.

To be fair to Roman, the Steelers could have yelled “run” at the top of their lungs as loud as they wanted (as Jackson said) and that didn’t seem to matter. Baltimore has walked another 265 yards on the ground.

But if the Indianapolis Colts did it last week, that’s another story. Baltimore only totaled 110 rushing yards against them, to the tune of 2.9 yards per carry.

Let’s see how things go with the defense knowing they are playing ahead on Sunday night when the Ravens take on Bill Belichick and the Patriots.


Make way for Miles

Former Penn State running back Miles Sanders could play for the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

The Woodland Hills product fully practiced Thursday before the team’s game against the New York Giants this weekend.

A knee injury forced Sanders to sit on the sidelines for both Philadelphia games before the team’s week off.

Sanders is averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He’s the best among the running backs in the NFL. Only Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray has a better score at 7.1 yards per carry.


It’s official

When the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired winger Kasperi Kapanen from the Toronto Maple Leafs, it was assumed he would play on a line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel.

Well, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan confirmed that belief.

He told Penguins radio host Josh Getzoff on the Penguins’ “The Scoop” podcast that Kapanen would be deployed to the top Pens line.

“He brings a dimension of speed which I think is complementary to Sid and Jake’s play,” Sullivan said. “He showed his ability to finish. He has scored 20 goals in this league. He has elite speed. He has a good height (6 feet 1 inch, 194 pounds). So when we play games that tend to be heavy by nature, I think (Kapanen is) a guy who can help us in that title. We think his skills could be very complementary to Sid and Jake. “

So, as expected here when Jason Zucker was first acquired from Minnesota, he’ll be on Evgeni Malkin’s wing for the long haul after all, along with Bryan Rust.

Then the Penguins will have some sort of mishmash for their last six that… well… couldn’t be worse than what we saw in the playoffs against Montreal in the Toronto bubble this spring.

Tim Benz is an editor for Tribune-Review. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication, unless otherwise specified.

Categories:
Penguins / NHL | Sports | Steelers / NFL | Breakfast with Benz



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