Thursday’s “First Call” has a story regarding the Baltimore Ravens chirping about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive game plan. Aaron Rodgers continues to be noncommittal toward the Steelers.
A former Pitt football star is dealing with an alleged stalker. And the Panthers basketball team is trying to land a talent from out west in the transfer portal.
Brassy Birds
The Ravens were mocking the defensive game plan of the Steelers after the teams met in the AFC playoffs this year. That’s what Danny Heifetz of the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast has said.
“I covered that game,” Heifetz said Wednesday. “I was in the Ravens’ locker room. The Ravens were making fun of the Steelers’ game plan. Straight up. The Ravens were making fun of the Steelers’ game plan. Not to reporters, but if you heard what they were saying, among themselves.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers are having a midlife crisis, and Aaron Rodgers is still working through a seminal moment of trauma with the NFL Draft.
With @Danny_Heifetz. pic.twitter.com/ZbR1HCcS2Z
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) April 16, 2025
That’s not surprising, given the results. On the Ravens’ option reads, Steelers defenders kept running at quarterback Lamar Jackson, yet Derrick Henry gashed them for 186 yards and two scores. Meanwhile, Jackson still managed 81 rushing yards of his own.
“There’s an ideological update Mike Tomlin needs. There are personnel updates they need to stop the run,” Heifetz continued. “On top of that, they don’t have a left tackle. So what did they do? They got a ($30 million) receiver (DK Metcalf). And you don’t have a quarterback. And you don’t have a second-round pick.”
Well, they do have a left tackle. It’ll be Broderick Jones. But there is reason to wonder if he’ll be good enough to hold down that position after struggling on the right side last year.
Everything else, though (at the 6:14 mark of the video above), is tough to argue.
Stringing them along
The Steelers still have no indication from Aaron Rodgers as to whether or not he is going to sign with the club. That’s according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic (at 18:31 of this link), who claims to have spoken with someone within the organization Wednesday.
“I can tell you, I spoke to Pittsburgh (Wednesday) morning,” Russini said on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” via Fox Sports Radio. “No updates right now. Think about this. At this point, as we’re a week out from the draft, they still have no idea whether or not Aaron Rodgers is going to sign with them.”
Russini made it sound like Rodgers is just sitting back to see if a better situation comes along.
“I just think Aaron knows he’s got the leverage in the situation here,” she said. “He may just sit this thing out and wait — and what if there’s another team?”
Russini said that Rodgers wants to join a team that’s built to win now. That’s why he had such interest in the Minnesota Vikings. But he doesn’t think the Steelers are built to win.
So it is becoming very clear that Rodgers is only going to sign here if he feels like he absolutely has to and there is no other possible choice.
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Problem for a former Panther
Pitt legend Aaron Donald is trying to handle a potentially dangerous situation through the courts.
The retired NFL star has secured a temporary restraining order through the Los Angeles court system against someone who has allegedly been harassing him and his family.
The Athletic reports that the Penn Hills grad had to get a restraining order against a woman named Janelle Anwar.
The former Rams All-Pro says that Anwar has been stalking himself and his family dating back to emails sent in 2020. Via ProFootballTalk.com, “She has sent packages and gifts. She eventually, according to Donald, threatened the life of his 3-year-old son, Aaric.”
Not only that, but the complaint also says that Anwar believes she and Donald are married. She allegedly filed for dissolution of the so-called “marriage” last month, seeking a divorce settlement of $6.5 million.
In advance of a May 7 hearing, Anwar must remain at least 100 yards away from Donald, his wife, their four children, and his brother. She also can’t contact Donald or own firearms.
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Bedeviled
Pitt basketball is looking at a sharpshooter in the NCAA transfer portal. It’s Arizona State guard Adam Miller.
PittsburghSportsNow.com reports that the Panthers have contacted Miller. He is 6-foot-3 and has played four full seasons of college basketball, but did miss the 2021-22 campaign due to injury.
With the Sun Devils, the native of Peoria, Ill., played 29.8 minutes per game, shooting 43% from three-point range. He posted 9.8 points per game to go along with 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
ADAM MILLER TIES IT!
Overtime coming up between Baylor and Arizona State. pic.twitter.com/lWLaAUfIwh
— Heat Check CBB (@HeatCheckCBB) January 12, 2025
To date, Pitt has lured four transfers so far (Nojus Indrusaitis, Dishon Jackson, Barry Dunning Jr., and Damarco Minor), but they have lost two. Jaland Lowe is going to Kentucky. Guillermo Diaz Graham is heading to San Francisco.
Meanwhile, Amsal Delalic Jorge Diaz Graham, Papa Amadou Kante and Marlon Barnes Jr. have yet to announce where they will be transferring to next year.