Thursday’s “First Call” has some interesting comments from Pittsburgh Steelers legend Jerome Bettis about the crowd at Acrisure Stadium.
The NFL Draft just got an interesting submission. Russell Wilson is making offseason headlines. And we get some praise for one of Robert Morris’s hockey captains.
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Ty time
With the NFL draft in Pittsburgh this spring, and Aaron Rodgers’ future uncertain for 2026, the Steelers may make a big splash and select a quarterback.
One big-name college passer has thrown his hat into the ring, according to ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel. It’s Alabama’s Ty Simpson.
Sources: Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is turning pro. He just informed the Alabama coaches of his decision.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 7, 2026
The Crimson Tide junior is the son of UT-Martin football coach Jason Simpson. According to ESPN’s post, Simpson is claiming his son received first-round grades from every NFL general manager they contacted.
“Nobody said second round,” Jason Simpson told the outlet.
NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. puts Simpson third on his list of draft-eligible QBs, behind Indiana Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore. They haven’t declared as of yet.
Alabama went 11-4 with Simpson at the helm. He completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,567 yards and ended the year with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2025.
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Rumblings from The Bus
Former Steeler Jerome Bettis seems to think that the crowd could’ve been better for the home team at Acrisure Stadium Sunday night.
The Bus made those comments on Cameron Heyward’s “Not Just Football” podcast.
“I thought the crowd was a bit iffy in Pittsburgh,” Bettis said via SteelersWire. “And I say that in a little bit of a disappointment because our crowd has been phenomenal for decades. And this was one of those games where I truly felt that a lot of the crowd didn’t feel good about us winning the game. A lot of people went into that game like, ‘I’m here, but I’m here to see us go down.’ And you could feel the energy wasn’t a true Pittsburgh Steelers-Ravens, end-of-the-season, winner-take-all game. The energy should’ve been at a fever pitch, and it wasn’t that.”
I disagree with Bettis on this one. I actually thought the fans were very good Sunday, given the circumstances.
I thought the crowd showed up early and got in the building on time. It was announced at 65,400. Given the cold weather and the late start, that’s not bad.
What was most noticeable to me is that the fans consciously stayed with the team when the game went south multiple times in the first half — even though I’m sure they wanted to do so. Based on the Buffalo game earlier this season, I assume they were ready to do so.
In the second half, I thought the stadium was electric. Calvin Austin even suggested the crowd influenced Tyler Loop’s game-ending field goal miss for Baltimore.
Bettis has some pretty high standards when it comes to judging the crowd, having played there when the stadium first opened and through some raucous regular-season home games during the 15-1 run in 2004, and the Super Bowl season of 2005.
He was also in uniform in that building for four playoff games and three more at Three Rivers Stadium. So maybe the crowd wasn’t as vocal as they were in those situations, but I still thought it was loud.
And, yes, there was an element of tension and concern that the fans may turn at any point, as they did when Buffalo was here earlier this season.
But all in all, I thought that the crowd was a plus on Sunday. Hopefully it’s even louder Monday when the Houston Texans are here for the playoffs.
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More sports
• U mad, bro?: Media coverage of DK Metcalf; lack of faith in Steelers challenged by readers
• Texans’ defense reached historic status that Steelers strived to achieve
• Where are the Penguins midway through the season?
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Late in the game
Russell Wilson is making a change late in his career.
The ex-Steelers quarterback is getting a new agent. Via ProFootballTalk.com, NFLPA records indicate that Wilson has switched his representation from Mark Rodgers to David Mulugheta of Athletes First.
As PFT points out, Rodgers is a baseball agent with Wilson as his only football client. That was an easier gig when jobs were easy to get for Wilson.
Now that his career is declining, the 37-year-old probably needs representation that is a little bit more connected in the NFL, who can work the phones and manipulate the system for his client’s best interests.
Wilson is entering free agency for the third year in a row. He ended up playing six games for the Giants, posting 831 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. His passer rating for the year was 77.4 with a completion percentage of 58%.
Wilson was replaced by Jaxson Dart during the 2025 campaign and may have to settle for a backup job this offseason.
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Michael, Michael motorcycle
Robert Morris hockey player Michael Craig is the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) Defenseman of the Month for December. The conference made that announcement this week.
The junior from Ontario recorded at least one point in each of the three games he appeared in during December. He ended the month with three assists. Craig weaved together a career-best five-game point streak spanning late November into December, during which he posted two goals and four assists.
The team captain also blocked three shots and registered four shots on goal. Craig has appeared in 87 RMU games during his career. He has totaled eight goals, 33 assists and 41 total points.
THE BEARS ARE FLYING!????
Michael Craig scores the teddy bear toss goal and now we have a tie game! #BobbyMo #AHA pic.twitter.com/iQFuHH3Raa
— RMU Men’s Hockey (@RMUMHockey) November 30, 2025
The Colonials head to Rochester for a two-game road series against RIT this weekend. Puck drop for Game 1 is 7 p.m. Friday. On Saturday, the game starts at 5 p.m. Both games will stream live on FloHockey.
