Pittsburgh Steeler recruit Mike Williams spoke about his recent visit to Acresure Stadium. get Background on Diontae Johnson’s trade to Baltimore From Carolina’s point of view.
The Washington Commanders have plans to offset a potential influx of Steelers fans filling the stadium on Sunday. And the Penguins will face some tough opponents on the next two legs of this road trip.
That’s Thursday’s “first call.”
I heard it all
A few weeks before the Steelers acquired wide receiver Mike Williams from the New York Jets, his former team played a Sunday night game at Acresure Stadium.
Prior to that contest, trade rumors were swirling linking Williams to Pittsburgh. The Black and Gold fans in attendance knew them well, and Williams received comments from those who hoped he would become a Steeler, even though he was wearing the opposing team’s uniform at the time. He said he heard.
“That was crazy,” Williams said Wednesday after his first practice in Pittsburgh. “People in the stands were telling me, ‘Don’t go back. Stay! Don’t get on the plane and go home.’‘ That was interesting. ”
Williams only had one catch for 16 yards that night, and one more in the following two weeks against Houston and New England. The Steelers traded for his services on Tuesday anyway.
Williams missed the initial phone call to share the news.
”was asleep, and I was It feels like my cell phone is vibrating. But when I thought I was dreaming,” Williams said. “I had about five missed calls from my agent. Then I got a call from the Jets GM (Joe Douglas) telling me about the trade.”
Williams has just 12 catches for 166 yards this season. But the Steelers I’m looking forward to it The goal is to expand their influence over the final nine weeks of the season. he obtained To acquire a fifth-round draft pick in 2025.
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use in combination
washington commanders I’m planning To use the damn towel against Steelers fans who are scheduled to invade D.C.’s Northwest Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
team I plan to Hand out burgundy towels to fans as they pass through the gate. The idea is Commander colors are burgundy and gold it is If Steelers fans brought their Terrible towels, the image would all be in their favor, no matter who was giving up their seat color.
Former Washington great Brian Mitchell promoted the idea on the field in New York after the Commanders defeated the Giants 27-22 last weekend.
“That means we need to give every fan that comes into the stadium a burgundy towel because we know the Steelers will be coming in with yellow uniforms.” Mitchell said. “I’m going to mix this up, and… the It will be burgundy and gold all All over the stadium. That would look good on TV. ”
Gold towel + wine red towel = beautiful sight #PITvsWAS | #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/FvhJ9zoP0v
— Commander Washington (@Commanders) November 6, 2024
Steelers fans have already had two notable road takeovers this season, in Atlanta and Las Vegas. Washington may be a different story.butthe Commanders got off to a 7-2 start.
The last time the Steelers were in Washington, the team was still called the Redskins, and the Steelers won the 2016 season opener on Monday Night Football, 38-16.
best to move on
The Steelers decided to trade Diontae Johnson in March with little backup plan to replace him at wide receiver. The Carolina Panthers just did the same thing seven months later in the middle of the season.
That’s why Johnson became a Raven. He made a limited debut in Baltimore last week and could see more action Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals.
From what Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said via the team’s website, Johnson’s time appears to be up quickly in Charlotte, similar to what happened in Pittsburgh.
“At the end of the day, we felt it was best for the team and for Dionte to mutually part ways and receive the compensation we earned.” morgan said via the team’s website. “So, as it turns out, I just thought it was best for both parties that. He wanted a change of pace and we wanted to do something on our side in the same way. It is best for both parties to part ways. ”
All the Panthers received from Baltimore in exchange for Johnson was a fifth-round pick. The Steelers acquired Donte Jackson from Carolina in March when they sent Johnson to Carolina. Jackson has started every game this season at cornerback opposite Joey Porter Jr. and has been a significant upgrade for the Steelers’ secondary this season.
pen problem
So much for the good atmosphere after two wins in a row.
After back-to-back wins against the Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens at home last week, the Penguins got off to a bad start in their third straight road trip against the New York Islanders on Tuesday. The Pens took a 3-1 lead. I lost in the end Lost 4-3 in the shootout.
Now, Sidney Crosby and company have to head to Carolina for another Metropolitan Division showdown against the Hurricanes on Thursday night. Carolina is currently beating the NHL with seven straight wins. The Canes, Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils lead the Metro Division with 18 points each.
The Hurricanes have only played 11 games, but their record on the year is 9-2-0. Martin Necas leads the team with 20 points. That’s tied with Las Vegas’ Mark Stone for sixth-highest total in hockey.
Goaltender Frederik Andersen (3-1-0) got off to a great start with a .941 save percentage and 1.48 goals against average. He is tops in the NHL in both categories. But he’s currently sidelined every week with a lower-body injury. Pyotr Kochetkov has a preliminary record of 6 wins, 1 loss, and 0 losses, with a 2.72 points per game and .878 save percentage.
The Canes are third in the NHL in points allowed per game as a team with 2.46, and both of their special teams units are first. good. Their penalty kill success rate of 83.3% is 9th in the league, and their power play is also 9th. within the league At 25%.
Coach Mike Sullivan’s team went 2-1-0-1 against Carolina last year. The Canes won their only meeting so far this season on October 18, 4-1.
bright red bright red
After playing Thursday night in Raleigh, the Penguins will head to Washington on Friday to face the Capitals for the first time this year. They plan to do that with a heater in Washington with Alex Ovechkin. He scored again Thursday night in the Caps’ 3-2 win over Nashville.
Alex Ovechkin scores again????
That is goal number 861! pic.twitter.com/tHWtYqppWQ
— NHL (@NHL) November 7, 2024
This was Ovechkin’s eighth goal of the season and sixth in his last five games. This is also the 861st of his career. Only Wayne Gretzky (894) has more. league history. He also added an assist early in the game.
The Caps are 9-3-0 at home and 7-1-0. Last season, the two teams had a record of 2 wins and 2 losses.
Listen: On this week’s hockey podcast, Tim Benz and Brian Metzer discuss the struggling Penguins.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All Tweets may be reposted. All emails will be made public unless otherwise specified.
