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Thursday’s “first call” shows us how long the odds have gotten for the Steelers. Hard projections for Ben Roethlisberger. Honors to a Duke Duquesne. And yet another former Pirates pitcher is slated for a playoff start.
Surf the wave
If it’s been a top-down run for you as a fan to watch the Steelers start 2021, you’re not alone.
The bettors are there with you.
Via BetOnline.AG, the odds for the Steelers to win the AFC North started 17/4 against. Then they fell to 3/1 after that stunning Buffalo Bills reversal. Now they’ve climbed to 25/1, even behind the Cincinnati Bengals at 17/2.
When it comes to the Super Bowl, the Steelers started the season 40/1. The number is now 125/1.
It’s hard
NFL.com ranks the league’s 32 quarterbacks heading into Week 5. They struggle to point out Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers’ caller, at 27.
It’s behind Jared Goff, rookie Mac Jones, Jimmy Garoppolo and Taylor Heinicke.
“The next step in Roethlisberger’s apparent sharp drop includes the absence of open receptors,” writes Gregg Rosenthal. “A quarterback known to shake up defenders walks away from some shots and holds the ball too long on others. If he can’t play a second reaction or be precise, it’s going to be a very long season.
Gregg, that was already exactly that.
The only veteran QB on the list after Big Ben is Miami’s Jacoby Brissett. Everyone else is rookie: Justin Fields, Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Davis Mills.
Him too?
We’ve talked before about how the New York Yankees pitched Gerrit Cole in their loss to the Red Sox. And the Tampa Bay Rays start Shane Baz in Game 2 against Boston.
But there is another former Pirates pitcher who gets the call at the start of the division round. He’s right-hander Charlie Morton.
At 37, Morton had one of his best years, going 14-6 with a 3.34 ERA and 216 strikeouts. He’s now back with the franchise that took him to the big leagues in 2008. Morton’s Atlanta Braves face the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League divisional round.
Game 1 of this series is Friday. Morton is 7-3 with a lifetime 3.38 ERA in the playoffs between appearances with the Pirates, Rays and Astros.
Jeremiah jumping
Duquesne defensive back Jeremiah Josephs was named the Northeast Conference (NEC) Defensive Player of the Week.
The Gateway product was awarded after a huge performance in the Dukes’ 37-14 victory at Merrimack.
Josephs – a transfer from Miami (Oh.) – had two assists and recorded a tackle for the loss to the Warriors. The second had five tackles and two missed passes in addition to the two first-half interceptions.
Overall, the Dukes’ defense totaled five interceptions on the day and had two more called back due to penalties.
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.
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