First call: Najee Harris praises meetings with Steelers; Mike Hilton shoots back to trolls after signing with Bengals

First call: Najee Harris praises meetings with Steelers; Mike Hilton shoots back to trolls after signing with Bengals

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Former Pittsburgh Steeler Mike Hilton is a little salty about how he has been treated by fans since signing with Cincinnati Bengals.

Alabama running back Najee Harris has some good things to say about his pre-draft interaction with the Steelers. Antonio Brown is openly begging to stay in Tampa Bay.

A battle of the NHL Eastern Division for the last position in the playoff. And some national recognition for the Duquesne football team.

All of this on Tuesday’s “First Call”.

Hilton is yummy

Former Steeler Mike Hilton seems quite irritated by fans who criticize him for leaving Pittsburgh as a free agent.

Or – more specifically – because he signed with rival Cincinnati Bengals from AFC North.

Fans will be fans on Twitter, I think. But it’s very stupid to yell at Hilton for going out to get the best deal he could.

I mean, he’s 27 years old and this was his first chance at a free, unrestricted agency since he became an NFL merchandise. He was an exclusive rights agent twice before that. The Bengals then offered him $ 24 million in four years. The Steelers were not going to touch that figure. He will earn almost twice as much this year as he did for five years in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers could have paid him more on a long-term contract if they wanted to. But they agreed to give him $ 3.25 million last year.

What should Hilton do? Say, “No, I want to do less elsewhere so that I can leave the Steelers, but not hurt the feelings of the fans.”

Yes, I’m sure you would do the same thing.

Hilton was a good Steeler and, in my experience, a very nice guy here. He was one of my favorites to watch and interview. He made the most of his time in Pittsburgh, just as the Steelers made the most of him. They made a business decision by letting him go, just as Hilton made a business decision about where to go.

He shouldn’t be blamed for where he decided to play next.

Then again, Hilton must understand – however undeserved the hatred may be – that it will happen when you leave Pittsburgh for another division rival. That’s how social media works. So don’t worry about reading the mentions.

Good first impression

Before the NFL Draft later this month, Alabama’s running back Najee Harris was on Adam Schefter’s ESPN podcast.

He talked about his first interviewing experiences with the Steelers. He and Schefter deplored the tedious nature of Zoom’s interview process. But he called the conversations he had with Mike Tomlin and the Steelers – as well as his personal interaction – a “cool” experience. He said the entire Steelers team was present, including general manager Kevin Colbert and the defense team. He called the Steelers “tranquility” in his approach.

Harris said the interaction he had with Tomlin was nothing out of the ordinary. Just “basic things to get to know you”. Schefter tried to convince Harris of a possible adjustment with the Steelers, but Harris said he has no control and is ready to “open a store” with his new team wherever he is.

Harris also said that he enjoyed his experience with the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins.

AB says AB sign

In Friday’s “First Call”, we talked about how former Steeler Antonio Brown and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were still far from contract negotiations.

Mr. Big Chest prefers to see that gap close. Is fast.

The Bucs posted an image on Instagram, praising themselves for being the first Super Bowl winning team since 1977 to return all 22 starting players.

Brown now wants the record to extend to the bank. He responded to the responses and pleaded outright for the franchise to “Subscribe @ab”.

Perhaps Brown is asking for too much. Perhaps the former Steelers’ assistant and head coach of the Bucs, Bruce Arians, thought that a few months of a meeting with the mercurial wide receiver were sufficient and the useful life was reached.

Or perhaps the team is concerned about Brown’s impending legal involvement. Whatever the case, Bucs could use a receiver. Brown doesn’t seem to have anywhere to go. And yet the two sides have not reached an agreement.

There must be a reason.

Fight for the room

After defeating the Penguins on Saturday, the Boston Bruins came into play on Monday night alone in the fourth and final playoff of the Eastern Division.

That is still the case. But the breathing space became a little tighter. That’s because they lost at home to fifth-placed Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.

But they conceded just one point because the Bruins took the game into overtime before dropping 3-2. Travis Sanheim was the winner.

Therefore, Bruins now have 44 points in fourth position. The Flyers are three behind with 41. The New York Rangers have 39 points in sixth place. They receive third place Penguins (50 points) on Tuesday.

Taking note

Duquesne’s football team will host the NEC Spring Championship game at Arthur J. Rooney Field on Sunday at 2pm on ESPN3. Sacred Heart is the opponent.

The Dukes won their first clash earlier this season, 30-27.

For the second time in the program’s history, the football team Duquesne Dukes won a place in the FCS Top 25. Duquesne is tied for 25th in the last national vote released by “Stats Perform” on Monday afternoon. Jerry Schmitt’s team also appeared in the top 25 in 2018.

The Dukes are tied for 25th in the ranking with Austin Peay (4-5, 4-2 Ohio Valley). James Madison (4-0, 2-0 CAA) holds the top spot.

Tim Benz is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets can be posted again. All emails are subject to publication, unless otherwise specified.

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