First call: Penn State’s potential customers have the attention of Steelers; Rangers speed up the Flyers again

First call: Penn State’s potential customers have the attention of Steelers; Rangers speed up the Flyers again

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Friday’s “First Call” shows us the prospects for Penn State’s NFL Draft that are of interest to the Steelers’ bosses.

Nittany Lions star Micah Parsons impresses on his professional day, but has a doubt hanging over his head.

And the Philadelphia Flyers continue to give up goals at a comical pace.

I’m very sorry. Did I say “comical”? I didn’t say “comical”. You heard “comical”. I said … um … “alarming”. Yes. That’s what I said. “Alarming.”

Penn State to Pittsburgh

Some Penn State football stars said on Thursday’s professional day that they had contact with the Steelers.

They include tight end Pat Freiermuth, who worked with Steelers tight end coach Alfredo Roberts.

Coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert were also present. Freiermuth added that he had already spoken to the two. CBSSports.com is one of many vehicles that ranked Freiermuth as the second best tight end in the draft, behind Kyle Pitts of Florida.

Meanwhile, linebacker Micah Parsons and edge rusher Jayson Oweh would also have contact with the Steelers. Parsons is considered by some to be a top 10 choice, and Oweh is often ranked as the fastest candidate in the draft.

At 246 pounds, Parsons ran the 40-yard run in 4.39 seconds. According to Yahoo.com, only five players weighing 240 or more have run faster than a 4.41-second 40 in the NFL Combine since 2000.

Also from Yahoo, “Oweh reached a scorching speed of 4.36 seconds on the 40-yard dash, which puts him on the spectrum of Vernon Davis for one of the most bizarre pre-draft testers of all time.” But he did not register a layoff in seven games last year. He had a total of seven sacks in his first two seasons at Penn State.

Parsons problem

A potential problem that Parson seems to be dealing with before recruiting is an external concern.

As Sports Illustrated points out, Parsons was among a group of players accused of hazing with former Penn State player Isaiah Humphries, according to a lawsuit.

“At the end of the day, I believe I was a child,” said Parsons via SI “I was 17-18 years old. We all made mistakes when we were 17-18 years old. I will not let him control or dictate the person I am now. I will not let something that happened 3 or 4 years ago dictate who I became and the father I want to be. “

Like many potential candidates in the first round, Parsons opted out of the 2020 season during the covid-19 pandemic.

Elsewhere in the east

While the Penguins were eliminating the Buffalo Sabers 4-0 at the PPG Paints Arena on Thursday night, the other six teams from the Eastern Division were playing against each other.

The two teams at the top of the division were the winners. Washington Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils 4-3. Evgeny Kuznetsov scored two goals for the Caps, including the winner of the game.

Washington has won eight times in his last nine games. But the capitals are still two points behind the leaders of the New York Islanders division. That’s because Anthony Beauvillier scored in overtime to help Isles beat Boston Bruins 4-3.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Flyers gave up a bushel of goals against the New York Rangers again. After losing 9-0 to New York eight days ago, the Rangers defeated Philly again on Thursday by a final score of 8-3.

Mika Zibanejad scored three goals and three assists. That’s exactly what he did against the Flyers in last week’s demolition. Adam Fox had five assists. Carter Hart netted five goals on the net. Brian Elliott gave up on three.

The Flyers lost five out of six and gave up 32 goals in that period.

So the top six in the East look like this:

1. Ilhéus: 48 points

2. Capitals: 46 points

3. Penguins: 44 points

4. Bruins: 37 points

5. (tie) Flyers: 34 points

Rangers: 34 points

‘Showtime’ on HBO?

HBO is developing a television series about the legendary 1980s Los Angeles Lakers.

The title of the show is not yet known. But the squad for the team – and rival Boston Celtics – is quite interesting.

• Jason Clarke: Former Lakers star and general manager Jerry West

• John C. Reilly: Jerry Buss, former owner of Lakers

• Quincy Isaiah: Earvin “Magic” Johnson

• Solomon Hughes: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

• Adrien Brody: Former Lakers coach, Pat Riley

• Michael Chiklis: Former Boston Celtics Red Auerbach coach and executive

• Jason Segel: former Lakers coach, Paul Westhead

• Bo Burnham: Larry Bird, former Boston Celtics star

The program is based on Jeff Pearlman’s book, “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s.” Adam McKay is the director and executive producer.

McKay, a former Penn State student, has directed many films by Will Ferrell, Dick Cheney’s film “Vice” and “The Big Short”.

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.

Tags:
Penn State | Sports | Steelers / NFL | Breakfast with Benz | Tim Benz Speakers

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