Starkey & Mueller

PM Team FULL Show 6-27-25

James Harrison thinks the best and worst quality of Mike Tomlin is that he is too much of a player’s coach. Guys love playing for him, but sometimes that makes things too buddy-buddy and messy. Is it fair to ask Tomlin to change his stripes or reevaluate how he is? There were some damning words from Harrison on a few fronts even though he respects and liked playing for Tomlin overall. Do fans agree with James Harrison? Donny Football Debrief – There will not be a supplemental draft this year (there hasn’t been one since 2019). Who are some of the best supplemental draft picks in NFL history?

James Harrison thinks the best and worst quality of Mike Tomlin is that he is too much of a player’s coach. Guys love playing for him, but sometimes that makes things too buddy-buddy and messy. Is it fair to ask Tomlin to change his stripes or reevaluate how he is? There were some damning words from Harrison on a few fronts even though he respects and liked playing for Tomlin overall.

Steelers correspondent Mark Kaboly from The Pat McAfee Show joined the show. Mark shared his excitement for the WWE super-show in town on Monday. The discussion turned to TJ Watt after that and if he will get more money than Myles Garrett. Kaboom isn’t convinced this will be the final deal Watt signs with the Steelers, but he does think it will be the final multi-year deal. Mark said the Steelers need to move Watt around more to see results. More w/ Mark – The guys talked about the latest Aaron Rodgers interview and how he seemed genuine about his intentions and goals with the Steelers. It feels like Rodgers is a lot more real than Russell Wilson, even though Wilson was a good guy. How much improv will we get from Rodgers in the offense? Mark isn’t convinced the Steelers will add anything to their offense. Chris made the push for Amari Cooper, but we haven’t heard his name around any NFL team. Mark said they don’t like to sign free agents that have injury concerns. Mark doesn’t think anyone ‘good’ will be g

At least one NFL insider gets the sense TJ Watt will get more money than Myles Garrett. Is that good business by the Steelers? Chris said the idea of ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ doesn’t apply to the Cleveland Browns. It would be different if Watt helped win a lot of big games, but he has zero playoff wins in his career and he’s done very little individually in those games. We got into the debates that have happened between Steelers & Browns fans over their top defensive players. Chris noted he thinks the deal the Browns gave Garrett was a mistake too, but that organization is used to that. We can acknowledge that Watt has been the better player than Garrett, but it doesn’t mean you should pay for his future. We dove a little bit more into the TJ Watt contract standoff. NHL reporter Sean Gentille from The Athletic joined the show. The Penguins have picks 11 and 12 in the opening round of the NHL Draft tonight and Sean isn’t sure if it’s in their best interest to move up. Sean said being in the first 9

NHL reporter Sean Gentille from The Athletic joined the show. The Penguins have picks 11 and 12 in the opening round of the NHL Draft tonight and Sean isn’t sure if it’s in their best interest to move up. Sean said being in the first 9 picks would be ideal. He mentioned that it could turn into a crapshoot like it normally does. Sean noted that the Islanders are a team to watch tonight. Sean looked at what Kyle Dubas has on his plate heading into the weekend and what type of players the Pens could be looking for. With free agency looming, Dubas has plenty in front of him. We also witnessed Mark Kaboly boot Sean off the air – a first in our history.

At least one NFL insider gets the sense TJ Watt will get more money than Myles Garrett. Is that good business by the Steelers? Chris said the idea of ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ doesn’t apply to the Cleveland Browns. It would be different if Watt helped win a lot of big games, but he has zero playoff wins in his career and he’s done very little individually in those games. We got into the debates that have happened between Steelers & Browns fans over their top defensive players. Chris noted he thinks the deal the Browns gave Garrett was a mistake too, but that organization is used to that. We can acknowledge that Watt has been the better player than Garrett, but it doesn’t mean you should pay for his future.

PM Team FULL Show 6-26-25

At the halfway point of the season, the Pirates are 32-50. What has gone so wrong this season? Chris said the real story is about Bob Nutting, but not in the way you may expect. Chris went through a couple of notable owners in sports that showed a true identity. It seems like the GM is safe when he shouldn’t be. How many more times can we watch Ben Cherington screw something up? We struggled to think of many major positive moves made by GMBC in his tenure outside of Paul Skenes and Bailey Falter. What will the deadline look like this year? Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo from the PG joined the show. Ray reacted to the words from Aaron Rodgers the other day, stating that it will likely be his final season. Ray does think this all has a chance to work out, which could mean a respectable showing in the playoffs and maybe even a win. Ray doesn’t believe the Rodgers legacy hinges on what he does in Pittsburgh. How much pressure would Mike Tomlin be under if the Steelers can’t win a playoff game? Ray thinks press

Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo from the PG joined the show. Ray reacted to the words from Aaron Rodgers the other day, stating that it will likely be his final season. Ray does think this all has a chance to work out, which could mean a respectable showing in the playoffs and maybe even a win. Ray doesn’t believe the Rodgers legacy hinges on what he does in Pittsburgh. How much pressure would Mike Tomlin be under if the Steelers can’t win a playoff game? Ray thinks pressure could be put on Omar Khan and Andy Weidl to circle that next QB. A few quick hitters for Ray before he said goodbye involving Jaylen Warren, Calvin Austin and TJ Watt.

We kept the conversation going about Barry Bonds and the ‘steroid era’ of baseball. We defended the players from this era and players like Bonds because some of them were truly some of the greatest we ever saw play. MLB insider Bob Nightengale from USA Today joined the show. Bob was the first to indicate that the Cubs contacted the Pirates about Mitch Keller. Bob explained how much Keller could fetch in a trade, saying ‘people like a lot’ even though he’s not an ace of a staff. Bob thinks Keller would return a Top 5-10 prospect in another team’s system because people are reluctant to trade away their prospects. Bob said there is a lot of interest in Isiah Kiner-Falefa around the league as the deadline approaches. He believes David Bednar will garner plenty of interest within the next month as well. Did the Pirates make a mistake not firing Ben Cherington after last season? Bob thinks the Pirates adding a few offensive pieces could get them to a legit level given the pitching they already have. Bob firmly sa

MLB insider Bob Nightengale from USA Today joined the show. Bob was the first to indicate that the Cubs contacted the Pirates about Mitch Keller. Bob explained how much Keller could fetch in a trade, saying ‘people like a lot’ even though he’s not an ace of a staff. Bob thinks Keller would return a Top 5-10 prospect in another team’s system because people are reluctant to trade away their prospects. Bob said there is a lot of interest in Isiah Kiner-Falefa around the league as the deadline approaches. He believes David Bednar will garner plenty of interest within the next month as well. Did the Pirates make a mistake not firing Ben Cherington after last season? Bob thinks the Pirates adding a few offensive pieces could get them to a legit level given the pitching they already have. Bob firmly said the Pirates have not made Oneil Cruz available.

We kept the conversation going about Barry Bonds and the ‘steroid era’ of baseball. We defended the players from this era and players like Bonds because some of them were truly some of the greatest we ever saw play.

Who needs a bigger season – Mike Tomlin or Aaron Rodgers? Chris thinks the viewpoints from local and national media will be much different if things don’t go well or it’s another season that ends in a first-round playoff exit. Tomlin has had so much control over the position since Ben Roethlisberger retired and it has not gone well. Chris got into the butchering of Kenny Pickett and the clamps that were put on every other QB that has taken snaps. KDKA TV’s Bob Pompeani joined the show. Pomp is still surprised that Joe is obsessed with golf. Bob tried to sit on the fence when Chris asked him who needed a bigger year out of Mike Tomlin or Aaron Rodgers. Do you think there are any shakes with Art Rooney if Tomlin’s team doesn’t show any improvement this season? The chat switched to baseball and all of the problems going on with the Pirates. Would it have been better to axe Ben Cherington at the end of last season? Bob isn’t sold that things will ever click for Oneil Cruz. Did Bob have any takes on the NHL Draf

KDKA TV’s Bob Pompeani joined the show. Pomp is still surprised that Joe is obsessed with golf. Bob tried to sit on the fence when Chris asked him who needed a bigger year out of Mike Tomlin or Aaron Rodgers. Do you think there are any shakes with Art Rooney if Tomlin’s team doesn’t show any improvement this season? The chat switched to baseball and all of the problems going on with the Pirates. Would it have been better to axe Ben Cherington at the end of last season? Bob isn’t sold that things will ever click for Oneil Cruz. Did Bob have any takes on the NHL Draft? It doesn’t seem like this draft features any generational players.

Who needs a bigger season – Mike Tomlin or Aaron Rodgers? Chris thinks the viewpoints from local and national media will be much different if things don’t go well or it’s another season that ends in a first-round playoff exit. Tomlin has had so much control over the position since Ben Roethlisberger retired and it has not gone well. Chris got into the butchering of Kenny Pickett and the clamps that were put on every other QB that has taken snaps.

The Pirates are 32-50 at the halfway point in what has been a disastrous season so far. A lot of it does come back on Bob Nutting, but what about Ben Cherington gives you confidence going forward? Why is he still here? The managerial change to Don Kelly gave the team a bit of a spark, but still didn’t turn it into a winning ballclub. Chris painted a picture of what could have been if Cherington and Derek Shelton were both let go at the end of last season instead of keeping that pair around for the start of 2025. Chris said Cherington has done nothing to inspire confidence and nothing to award keeping his job. Callers sounded off on the Pirates problems halfway through the season. A few are worried that Ben Cherington would screw up any trade in front of him. PG columnist Jason Mackey joined the show. Jason said Bob Nutting and Ben Cherington have been brothers in arms as 2025 goes crashing and burning. He doesn’t have a logical explanation for the thought process behind what is happening. Jason thinks it

PG columnist Jason Mackey joined the show. Jason said Bob Nutting and Ben Cherington have been brothers in arms as 2025 goes crashing and burning. He doesn’t have a logical explanation for the thought process behind what is happening. Jason thinks it is in their best interest to move on from anyone on an expiring deal at the trade deadline. Will Mitch Keller get dealt within the next month? The guys went through a couple other names that could and should be on the move. Jason said Ke’Bryan Hayes is another ‘maybe’ player on the move ahead of the deadline. How quickly can the timeline move for Konnor Griffin as he continues to tear up A-ball?

The Pirates are 32-50 at the halfway point in what has been a disastrous season so far. A lot of it does come back on Bob Nutting, but what about Ben Cherington gives you confidence going forward? Why is he still here? The managerial change to Don Kelly gave the team a bit of a spark, but still didn’t turn it into a winning ballclub. Chris painted a picture of what could have been if Cherington and Derek Shelton were both let go at the end of last season instead of keeping that pair around for the start of 2025. Chris said Cherington has done nothing to inspire confidence and nothing to award keeping his job.

PM Team FULL Show 6-25-25