First Call: Falcons coach gives perfect assessment of Pittsburgh's 'ugly game'; Broncos prep for Steelers' pass rush

Wednesday’s “First Call” spotlights some names the Pittsburgh Steelers are checking out on the free-agent market. The Denver Broncos are already prepping for the Steelers’ pass rush. Falcons coach Raheem Morris has a fitting assessment of his team’s loss to the Steelers.

And the Robert Morris women’s ice hockey team has a player that’s getting well-deserved preseason honors.

Keeping an eye ’aht

The Steelers are looking to bolster the bottom of their roster. One move they made was to sign a receiver who was once on New Orleans’ practice squad.

It’s Shaquan Davis. He is a 2023 undrafted free agent and was also once a member of the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad.

A South Carolina State alum, Davis is a big target — 6-foot-4, 216 pounds.

The club also worked out three cornerbacks according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC in Houston. They are Kaleb Hayes, Cameron McCutcheon and Anthony Johnson.

#Steelers worked out Shaquan Davis (signed), Kaleb Hayes, Anthony Johnson, Cameron McCutcheon

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 10, 2024

Hayes is a 4.33 second-40-yard dash guy out of BYU. Johnson is another former Saints practice squad member, as well as a Packer and Falcon.

McCutcheon was with the Los Angeles Rams after coming out of Gardner Webb and Western Carolina.

Facts are facts

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris spoke the truth about how the Steelers beat his club Sunday.

During an appearance on 92.9’s “Duke & Bell Show,” Morris bemoaned the inability of his players to force the Steelers out of their comfort zone.

“We couldn’t get those guys to have to open up,” Morris said via a Steelers Depot post. “You’ve got to be able to score points to be able to do that. Pittsburgh lives in the ugly game. They love it. They’re one of the best at it in the business. We’ve got to be able to get those guys out of the ugly game in order to win those games.”

It doesn’t take a very deep dive into the box score to see that Morris is right. The Steelers ran the ball 41 times and won 18-10 without scoring an offensive touchdown.

Expect nothing different when the Steelers try to out-ugly the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

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Rocky Mountain message

Speaking of the Broncos’ game plan, Denver coach Sean Payton isn’t hiding it: slow the Steelers’ pass rush.

The Pittsburgh defense only had two sacks on the books during the victory over Atlanta, but anyone who watched the game saw how the pass rush tilted the contest in the Steelers’ favor. Also, remember that T.J. Watt had two strip sacks erased by penalties.

“(The Steelers) do a lot of things extremely well, and that’s not by accident,” Payton said Tuesday. “I think we’ll be seeing a better defense this weekend, and that’s with no disrespect at all to Seattle. The Steelers’ defensive tradition and how they’ve performed over the years is deserving of the accolades and all the success they’ve had. It’s tough (and) physical.”

Meanwhile, Denver wasn’texactly thrilled with the pass protection it provided for rookie quarterback Bo Nix in his debut during a 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

“We’ve got to give him a cleaner picture with some more time so he can start settling in quicker and feel safe in the pocket,” guard Quinn Meinerz said.

According to the the Denver Post, Nix was only sacked twice, but with 18 pressures allowed, the Seahawks were tied for the second-most in the league in Week 1. That’s as tracked by to Next Gen Stats. Seattle’s 36.7% pressure rate tied the Minnesota Vikings for 10th.

Looking ahead

The Robert Morris women’s hockey team is picked to finish third in the Atlantic Hockey standings this year. That’s via a preseason poll of coaches in the conference.

Penn State finished first, gathering five of six first-place votes. Mercyhurst got the other. The Colonials were the third-place team out of six last year, posting an 11-8-1 conference record in the school’s return season after a two-year absence.

RMU standout forward Alaina Giampietro was includedon the Preseason All-AHA Team. The Ohio native was named conference Rookie of the Year last season, producing 19 goals, 12 assists and 31 points.

Coach Logan Bittle’s Colonials open the season Sept. 27 at home against Union College.