He was recruited by FBS schools and initially committed to Southern Miss, but he instead wound up at Samford, a program a little closer to home. Soon after, he was back on the road to the airport, this time with a flight to Pittsburgh. Comfortable and light, this premium fitted short sleeve is a classic choice. 2020 NFL Scouting Combine Results Tracker, 2020 Steelers Combine Interview Masterlist (Updating), Watch: Steelers Depot Q&A Livestream – January 18th, CBS Mock Draft Has Steelers Going OT In First Round, Steelers 2020 Defensive Charting – Season Review. Steelers Fact or Fiction: Enjoy the Ride edition There’s always so much to talk about when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers. How is it the Browns have BOTH Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt? The Steelers announced today that Porter will join the team as an assistant defensive coach for the upcoming season. Which is why I recommend for the playoffs that we replace Offensive Coordinator Randy Fichtner with a Magic 8-Ball. "There's a 'Seinfeld' episode where Kramer is with a beauty queen, he's like, 'Poise counts,' and we'd laugh because we watch it all the time," Amy said. Hodges and his brother started duck hunting with their dad when they were kids. For Steelers fans, it’s a Steelers Nation divided with some cups half empty and some half full. He's meant for the moment.". The Pittsburgh Steelers are just an hour away from their final game of the regular season on the road in Cleveland versus the Browns. While Hodges let competition duck calling take a backseat to football in college, he proved he still had it last year when he won the Alabama state duck calling championship. And, can we run him on some post plays across the middle, please? "I'll be damned, we put him in and he started for three years and 75% of another year, and all he did was break the all-time leading FCS passing record and won the Walter Payton Award and is probably the best player in the FCS history," Callaway said. That really seemed timed up with when the team’s offensive engine started pinging. Sometimes, Devlin, his younger brother, Duncan, and his dad would work on their calls together. Watch on ESPN+. CINCINNATI (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers' December swoon is looking more like a collapse.The Steelers lost their third straight — getting thumped 27-17 by the last-place Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night — after ripping off 11 straight wins to start the season. Pittsburgh Pirates: This year, Friendsgiving meant helping community friends when they need it the m… The first play of his first possession against Florida State a year ago looked awfully similar to his pee wee debut nearly two decades earlier. I might just do a better job at hiding them.". It’s NFL playoff football, Steelers fans. ... You're not really being serious about a future when somebody is 5.". The most likely answer is the two duke it out through 2020 and the best one gets a new deal and the other walks. If the Browns leave Heinz Field with their first playoff victory since…well, players had leather helmets…then it will be only a mild upset. With passing options like Claypool, a hands-healed Diontae Johnson, social media mentor Smith-Schuster and the steady and reliable James Washington, this team needs to send missiles flying. But, this was a significant move forward for Rudolph as potentially being the team’s number two for many years to come. In an eventual 10-point loss, Hodges went for 475 yards, connecting on 39 of 60 attempts with two touchdowns and four interceptions. Certainly, the same can be said about Defensive Line Coach Karl Dunbar. But, if your Super Bowl aspirations are half full, you’ll cheerfully push all of your chips onto Number 7 on the roulette wheel figuring Ben Roethlisberger has been saving his best magic for when it matters most. It didn't take him long to make up for lost time. WHO RIDE? Forget about wasting snaps on running into brick walls. The ESPN Daily delivers the biggest sports news and moments every weekday. The Steelers had traded third-string quarterback Josh Dobbs, and they wanted Hodges back for the practice squad. The Browns were missing key players last week as well, and none of that Calculus really matters in the playoffs anyway. "I feel like Mason would wear a suit on the field if he could, and Duck would have on a camo outfit," offensive lineman Fred Johnson said. Packers receivers prove worthy once and for all, Flores, Woodson hoping to take Raiders, Raider Nation to Canton, Extension? Then there is Claypool who is flashing greatness. "It's unbearably loud," Amy said. 54.8k Likes, 487 Comments - Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) on Instagram: “WHO RIDE⁉️” If your Lombardi Trophy is half empty, you can’t ignore the fact the Steelers running game has been running on empty in a way even Jackson Browne couldn’t put to words. And since that’s with the Steelers, it can be one of the most stable and sought-after positions in the league. Nope. But duck calling isn't like throwing a football -- at least not for Hodges. The Steelers haven’t won a … Ravens should get Lamar Jackson a No. Hodges turned his truck around and headed home to repack. Every one," Johnson said. "Almost every game or every time, he would have one big play or something that was just a Super Bowl throw that was across the middle. Talent was a part of it, sure, but to them, the touchdown was more indicative of their son's calm demeanor. "When you say Devlin around our place, people don'… The nickname started during his redshirt freshman year at Samford, because he constantly talked about duck hunting and duck calling. NFL PrimeTime continues this postseason with extended highlights and analysis following the conclusion of each day's playoff games. He flashed some of the best throws of the year for a player in a Steelers uniform and he displayed strong leadership as well. Members of the Steelers football team were also there. What a Ride These Steelers are Taking Us On written by steeldad December 1, 2019 Whether you prefer to think of roller coasters, water slides or just a merry-go-round, whatever the case, the Pittsburgh Steelers have taken us for one hell of a ride in 2019 and today … "He can go months without picking up a duck call and then pick it up and go win contest," Amy said. With Fitzpatrick earning his second All-Pro nod, and with him just barely turning 24, he’s on his way to being the next Rod Woodson-Troy Polamalu level player on the team. If Claypool gets single covered on the sideline, give him one of those “three flies up” tosses. These ain’t the Brownies anymore. There was a striking lack of composure and creativity in the phone booth of a collapsed NFL pocket and in these moments…as in the past…he looked terminally average. Hodges spent the rest of that season shattering records en route to the Walter Payton Award, the FCS equivalent of the Heisman. Instead, the story of the Pittsburgh Steelers' newest QB1 begins in a hockey rink in Birmingham, Alabama. But that's been the story of Hodges' life. The Steelers didn’t need to take away Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, who combined for over 100 yards in the first half. A couple of people came up to Amy afterward and told her how impressed they were with Devlin. The question is, who will be along for the ride as the Steelers try to rebound from the upset loss in the AFC wild-card round to the Cleveland Browns? Not the Dupree of the past two years, who was sensational. After all, we do know what happened when Munchak left. The Browns jumped out to … The lack of Zen on this offensive play calling is mind numbing. https://steelersdepot.com/2021/01/steelers-spin-ticket-to-ride Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) moves out of the pocket during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, in … A year later, he was playing on a team with 4- and 5-year-olds coached by his dad. The first time he stepped on a football field, Devlin Hodges threw a touchdown pass. Less than two weeks later, though, he sent Johnson a Snapchat from the front seat of his 2007 Chevy truck. Coach Chris Hatcher started calling him Duck, and it wasn't long before his receivers picked up on it. On one trip to Stuttgart, Arkansas, for the Junior World Duck Calling Contest, Hodges, then 7 years old, and his dad stopped into Rich-N-Tones, a company that specializes in high-end duck calls. Do we have one of the best defenses in the NFL as well as some of the leagues’ brightest defensive stars? And this defense? Hodges was on his way to the Birmingham airport for a tryout with the New York Jets when his agent called. This is no longer your “Winless In Ohio” team. Rock n’ roll. If we allow ourselves to cheat and consider Minkah Fitzpatrick as our number one draft pick this year, then we might be able to say this group of rookies constitutes Kevin Colbert’s greatest performance yet as the team’s general manager. It’s time for your first playoff version of the Spin…in quite some time. They couldn't generate any offense early, and the opportunistic Bengals took advantage of their mistakes. Brees is named Super Bowl MVP and rides off into the sunset with a Lombardi -- while Tom Brady hears the cheers from down the street. There's a high chance Cincinnati's poor offensive line gets Burrow killed in this game, but I'll ride with the Ohio gunslinger pulling off the upset." Add to this Kevin Dotson, who is being hailed by his colleagues as a unique talent. Even the sourest of pessimists among us can’t avoid a glimmer of pride in the return to glory of Pittsburgh’s true measure of football greatness. Yes…he’s got to get some gray in his sideburns, and needs work on securing the edge, but he’s looking like the perfect dance partner for T.J. Watt for…hopefully…many years to come. We saw a young guy who was ready to compete, much improved and showing signs of belonging in the big leagues. "At our old house, we had a basement, and I would be like 'OK, go to the basement and shut the door, please.'". Tom Bradley is the Mike Munchak of Steelers defensive coaches. NFL experts debate their title window, future at QB, Dan Campbell might not be popular Lions choice but he could be the right one, Chiefs without Patrick Mahomes still in capable hands of Chad Henne -- just don't ask about hashtags, 2021 NFL draft order: Top 28 picks set, with Jags, Jets, Dolphins at the top. And if he doesn't start another game after Sunday, he always has the ducks. WE RIDE. Whatever it took to get you in there, matters nothing now. "Somebody was like, he's really good. Hodges was 2 years old the first time he was strapped into a pair of ice skates. Special Teams will undoubtedly come into play, so they better be ready to be special. The Steelers scored 16 straight points to cut a deficit from 35-7 to 35-23. Roughly two hours before kickoff against the Ravens, Hodges took the field to warm up alongside Rudolph. In his Samford career, Hodges threw for 14,584 career passing yards, breaking the FCS record set by eventual Tennessee Titans star Steve McNair in 1994. That’s a critical mistake and it allowed the Steelers to climb right back into the game. "And [when] he got into the games, he did really, really well, as well.". But it didn't take him long to endear himself to his teammates. "And I mean literally he took off.". Yes, this includes the first quarter, Mr. Fichtner. Amy and Zane just laughed. By chance, they met the owner, Butch Richenback, a legend in the duck hunting and calling community, who took a liking to Hodges. Just saving him for last. Sigh. "That's just who they are. That’s a lot of riches. So…here we go again. The Browns play-calling did it for them. "Sometimes Duck is in my locker, and he's talking with Mason, and he's like, maybe I should just switch lockers. Much has been said about the caliber of players the team is set to lose in free agency during the offseason. ET, NBC) as the projected starting quarterback. The Steelers rallied within 17-10 in the second half before Finley ran untouched around the left side for a 23-yard touchdown with 11:21 left in the game to push the lead back to 14. Probably not. : 100% Soft cotton (fiber content may vary for different colors). A week later, he was elevated to the 53-man roster when Roethlisberger's elbow surgery put him on season-ending injured reserve. : Light fabric (4.3 oz/ "That kind of set the tone for that whole game," Callaway said. He had plans to try out for another team when the Steelers called. He's the kind of natural who doesn't need to practice every day to be good. After a nice showing during the three-day minicamp, he was inked to a contract, and the ride officially began. The nickname started during his redshirt freshman year at Samford, because he constantly talked about duck hunting and duck calling. When Baker Mayfield gets on a roll (and he’s currently WAY hotter than Big Ben these last few games) they can stand toe to toe with any team in the NFL. "He doesn't have an unbelievable arm like [Rams quarterback Jared] Goff. . The Bengals (3-10-1) led 17-0 at halftime and survived a rally by the Steelers, who lost their third straight after 11 consecutive wins to start the season. Perhaps most disappointing about the Cleveland game was how Josh Dobbs was used. While Rudolph went through a meticulous routine, Hodges looked relaxed, smiling as he tossed the ball around beside Rudolph. I just have a lot of belief in myself. When he got to Pittsburgh, coach Mike Tomlin added his own spin to the name, calling him "Duck Dynasty.". No need to squander any of those much-needed offensive line picks on those anymore, Highsmith is the next great Steelers linebacker…already. 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