First Call: More Steelers GM names to track; Malik Willis hype grows; NFL games in Germany; Fleury shines; Kessel scores
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Thursday’s “First Call” introduces us to a few more candidates in the Pittsburgh Steelers general manager black book. More hype about the Steelers and a potential first-round quarterback. The NFL is heading to Germany. And three ex-Penguins flash out West.
Keep ’em coming
Add two more names to the Steelers general manager interview list.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the franchise requested permission to speak with Indianapolis Colts college scouting director Morocco Brown.
Steelers requested permission to interview Colts’ college scouting director Morocco Brown for their general manager job, per league sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 9, 2022
The Steelers previously sought permission to interview Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds for the opening. The two men have been part of some highly touted drafts for Indianapolis in recent years.
Another name that cropped up Tuesday was Green Bay Packers co-director of player personnel John Wojciechowski. He has some Steelers ties.
The Pittsburgh Steelers plan to interview Green Bay Packers co-director of player personnel John Wojciechowski for their GM job, per league source. Wojciechowski was a Steelers’ personnel assistant in the late 90s before working his way up the scouting and executive ranks.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 9, 2022
Add those two names to an external candidate pool that also features ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, Ryan Cowden (Tennessee Titans vice president of player personnel) and JoJo Wooden (Los Angeles Chargers director of player personnel).
In-house candidates Brandon Hunt (pro scouting coordinator) and Omar Khan (vice president of football and business administration) are also under consideration.
More Malik
NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah was on the Ari Meirov NFL show talking about the quarterback class. Specifically, he spent a lot of time discussing Liberty’s Malik Willis.
After a week in Mobile, Ala., at the Senior Bowl, Jeremiah is pumping up the notion that Willis will eventually become a Steeler.
“Everyone thinks he is going (to Pittsburgh),” Jeremiah said. “Being down there around NFL circles and buddies, everybody was like, he is going to be a Steeler.”
Liberty QB Malik Willis was the top QB at last week's Senior Bowl. "He's not as far along, but you saw Mahomes, Herbert and Allen all progress and develop. This kid is on that track. He's just starting further behind." ~ @MoveTheSticks
Full episode: https://t.co/rAdbugIuX9 pic.twitter.com/3wcW4tktUw
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 9, 2022
Jeremiah said he still sees Pitt product Kenny Pickett as the safest QB pick in the draft, at No. 18 overall on his board. But he thinks that Willis may have the best physical tools of anyone in the draft.
“He’s a great kid. He’s got a great personality. He’s intelligent. He’s going to put in the work. He is somebody to me that you want to bet on that he is going to figure this thing out in the same vein that maybe Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Justin Herbert progressed,” Jeremiah continued.
Jeremiah added that he feels Willis is on “that same track” as those players. But he is just starting a bit further behind at his point of entry to the league.
Bist du bereit für etwas Fußball?
The NFL is going to give Germany a try.
The league announced Wednesday that it will be heading to Munich. The city has been selected to host a regular-season game in Germany in 2022. FC Bayern Munich’s stadium will host the event. The NFL also disclosed that future games will be hosted in Frankfurt. Four International Series games over the next four seasons will occur in the country.
The game in Munich is one of five international NFL games scheduled for 2022. Three will be staged in the United Kingdom — two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and a Jacksonville Jaguars home game at Wembley Stadium.
The NFL boasts that American football is the second-most popular television sport in Germany, with one in three people having watched it in the past year. NFL Europe had as many as six teams playing in Germany at one point.
Given the Steelers large fanbase in Germany, don’t be surprised if they wind up as one of the clubs selected to go. However, back in December, four NFL teams — the Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — were granted access to Germany for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization as part of the NFL’s International Home Marketing Areas initiative.
So maybe two of those teams will make the trip instead.
A flower blooms in Edmonton
As trade rumors swirl around former Penguin Marc-Andre Fleury, the Chicago Blackhawks netminder sparkled Wednesday night.
Fleury stopped 40 of 41 shots en route to a 4-1 Blackhawks win over the Edmonton Oilers. Even the lone goal he allowed came after a great save.
That brilliant save from Fleury just wasn't enough to stop the rebound.
Leon Draisaitl ties the league lead in goals (33) to get the @EdmontonOilers on the board! pic.twitter.com/wfcRlAtztg
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 10, 2022
“The Flower” got into it a bit with Evander Kane toward the end of the game, too.
Evander Kane gets into it with Caleb Jones and Marc-Andre Fleury in the final minute of the game. pic.twitter.com/i2sby08kM7
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 10, 2022
Edmonton is one of the teams believed to be interested in trading for Fleury. The Washington Capitals and the Colorado Avalanche are believed to be in pursuit as well.
As for another ex-Penguin star, Phil Kessel got a rare goal for the Arizona Coyotes.
Phil The Thrill ™ pic.twitter.com/jre5wGtVd3
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 10, 2022
That was just Kessel’s sixth of the season as the Coyotes beat the Seattle Kraken 5-2. Kessel also set up fellow ex-Penguin Alex Galchenyuk for a third-period goal as well. It was his third goal of the year.