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First Call: Micah Parsons calls George Pickens 'sick'; Davante Adams update; important Raider injured | TribLIVE.com
Steelers/NFL

First Call: Micah Parsons calls George Pickens 'sick'; Davante Adams update; important Raider injured

Tim Benz
Tim Benz
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AP
Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams looks on before a Sept. 29 game against the Cleveland Browns in Las Vegas.

Wednesday’s “First Call” has an update on potential Pittsburgh Steelers trade target Davante Adams. The Steelers will avoid seeing an important member of the Las Vegas defensive front when they play the Raiders on Sunday.

Micah Parsons has thoughts on George Pickens’ behavior. And it was a chippy start to the NHL season, with a former Penguins player very much involved.

Parsons on Pickens

Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons didn’t play in Sunday’s win over the Steelers. But that didn’t stop the former Penn State standout from offering some commentary on George Pickens’ actions at the end of the game.

After the final whistle, Pickens grabbed the facemask of Dallas defensive back Jourdan Lewis and threw him to the ground.

“I saw him getting into it with J-Lew at the end of the game. There was obviously a lot of frustration,” Parsons said. “I was watching that, and I said, ‘This man Pickens is sick.’ You know they are going to hit him with that fine. That fine (is) the worst part.”

I also wonder if Pickens will get fined for the profanity he wrote across his eye black tape.

Familiar story

Much like Parsons and his teammate DeMarcus Lawrence last week, another talented front-seven player will miss a game against the Steelers this Sunday.

This time, it’s Christian Wilkins. The Raiders defensive lineman is out because of a Jones fracture in his foot. That’s according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Wilkins will be sidelined indefinitely.

A former Miami Dolphin, Wilkins signed a four-year, $110 million deal in Vegas this offseason.

During his Tuesday press conference, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had high praise for Wilkins.

“Really talented. He’s got a well-rounded game,” Tomlin said of Wilkins. “He’s disruptive in the run. He’s disruptive in the interior in terms of passing. He’s really catching his stride over the last two and a half weeks or so in terms of his disruption (and) negativity that he’s creating in his playmaking.”

Over the first five games of 2024, the Clemson product posted 17 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and six quarterback hits.

More sports

• Won't change tactics? Won't play the kids? Penguins coach Mike Sullivan pushes back at critics' 'narratives'
• Pitt coach Jeff Capel hopes to grow the same culture that led to 46 victories past 2 seasons
• Mike Tomlin has no 'outlying issue' with the effort of Steelers WR George Pickens

Ripple effect?

The Steelers have been on the periphery of the Davante Adams trade talks. Now some are wondering if they — along with the likes of Baltimore, Buffalo and Kansas City — might be creeping closer to the mix.

That’s because the New York Jets are going through a coaching change and the New Orleans Saints’ are dealing with an oblique injury to quarterback Derek Carr. Are both of those teams potentially stalling out in trade conversations with Vegas for the services of the disgruntled wide out because of those circumstances?

ESPN’s Adam Schefter didn’t rule out such a concern for Adams and his camp.

Adams has requested a trade. Those two franchises were the perceived front runners to acquire him.

The 31-year-old pass catcher has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury. Whether it is legit or not is anyone’s guess. Both the Raiders and Adams’ camp may just be holding him back until a deal can be consummated.

But if Adams doesn’t play this week when the Steelers come to town (for whatever reason), they’ll be happy because Adams is a six-time Pro Bowler.

A year ago when the Steelers visited the Raiders in Las Vegas, Adams had 13 catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns.

Rodrigues is rolling

The NHL season is underway. One former Pittsburgh Penguin is off to a hot start.

Evan Rodrigues set up Sam Bennett for his first goal of the year as the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers took out their second-round Eastern Conference playoff foes from Boston in Game 1 of the 2024-25 campaign.

Florida ended up winning 6-4. Rodrigues also scored later in the game. As the goal was being scored, Bennett popped Boston goalie Joonas Korpisalo.

Rodrigues was also in a shoving match with Max Jones, resulting in Jones accidentally slashing one of the officials.

All Jones got was a 2-minute unsportsmanlike penalty.

The Penguins open their season at home tonight (7:30) against the New York Rangers.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

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Categories: Sports | Steelers/NFL | Breakfast With Benz | Tim Benz Columns
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