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» » First Call: Kevin Greene praises T.J. Watt in last interview, more coronavirus concerns for Browns - TribLIVE

First Call: Kevin Greene praises T.J. Watt in last interview, more coronavirus concerns for Browns - TribLIVE

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Recently released interview clips with former Steelers great Kevin Greene reveal his thoughts on current star T.J. Watt.

The Cleveland Browns have more coronavirus issues. The gambling line on their game against the Steelers has shifted dramatically. And an AFC contender may have a significant injury issue heading into the playoffs.

All that in our final “First Call” of 2020.

Meaningful endorsement

Many in the NFL are still coming to grips with the death of former Steelers star Kevin Greene.

That includes longtime place kicker Morten Andersen. He now hosts a podcast for VegasInsider Podcast Network. And he put together a tearful dedication to Greene who died at the age of 58 on Dec. 21.

About 10 days earlier, Andersen had conducted an interview with Greene. He posted some of those clips as part of a tribute to his friend and fellow Hall of Fame inductee. One of the highlights of the conversation was Greene’s assessment of current Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt.

Greene endorsed Watt as the “NFL Defensive Player of the Year,” calling him “the most complete linebacker in the NFL.”

Greene complimented Watt for his on-field approach to “hunting people with a hunter’s heart.” He also gushed about his playing days in Pittsburgh and the chance he had to face so many Hall of Fame quarterbacks.

You can get the entire interview here. You can also go to our podcast page and hear the 2016 interview I conducted with Greene after he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Coronavirus in Cleveland

The Cleveland Browns host the Steelers Sunday afternoon in the regular season finale.

And they may be doing so shorthanded. Again.

Cleveland lost to the New York Jets last Sunday in part because most of their wide receivers were absent thanks to covid-19 contact tracing.

Their hope is those players will be back Sunday. But now word out of Ohio is some other players are finding themselves on the covid-19 list, including starting safety Andrew Sendejo and rookie tight end Harrison Bryant.

Via BrownsWire, “If Sendejo and Bryant were just close contacts, they would still be able to play in Week 17 against the Pittsburgh Steelers provided they test negative five days in a row for covid-19.”

Receivers Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge are all eligible to return as early as Thursday. That’s if they continue to test negative. The same can be said for linebacker Jacob Phillips.

Did you follow our advice?

As predicted here at “First Call,” the Steelers-Browns game was heavily influenced by Mike Tomlin’s declaration of roster plans.

Cleveland opened as a 7-point favorite, under the assumption that the Steelers may rest some regulars heading into the game, since it may only mildly impact the Steelers seeding. Meanwhile, the Browns could need the victory to qualify for the AFC playoffs.

When Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed those suspicions, the line moved to 10 points in favor of the Browns, according to OddsShark. And that’s just with the news that Ben Roethlisberger will be rested.

Others may follow. If you are betting on the Browns, hopefully you got in early.

Beasley and the Bills

The Buffalo Bills are going to have to make similar decisions about who to sit and who to play.

And they’ll be doing so under circumstances akin to the Steelers. Just like Pittsburgh, they’ll fall into the second or third seed of the playoff bracket. Just like the Steelers, they are facing a division rival in the Miami Dolphins. Just like the Steelers, that division rival is trying to qualify for the playoffs.

But one decision is likely already out of Buffalo’s hands. Wide receiver Cole Beasley suffered a leg injury late in the team’s victory over the New England Patriots Monday night. And he is listed as “week to week.”

So we’ll see if Beasley is even available next week in the postseason, let alone Sunday against Miami.

Back on the ice

Thanks to coronavirus-related scheduling issues, the Robert Morris Colonials men’s hockey team returned to action Tuesday afternoon for the first time since Dec. 5.

They faced seventh-ranked Bowling Green on the road. And junior center Grant Hebert got the Colonials on the board first with a second period goal.

But the Falcons battled back with two goals in the third period, including one from Pittsburgh native Connor Ford to win 2-1.

Derek Schooley’s club is now 5-3. The Colonials visit Niagara Thursday afternoon. Then they welcome RIT to the Island Sports Center Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

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

Categories: Sports | Steelers/NFL | Breakfast With Benz

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