The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller

PM Team FULL Show 5-14-26

Cherington’s Chatter – What did Ben Cherington say to the media? Pirates insider Jason Mackey joined the show. Jason reacted to a Pirates series win over the Rockies. The Pirates started Endy Rodriguez, who immediately provided as much offense as Henry Davis has all season. Jason thinks if Endy hits, he will play, even though Davis provides the good defense. Jason thinks Carmen Mlodzinski heads to the bullpen when Jared Jones returns, even though he’s arguably been better than Bubba Chandler this season. Jason described Jones as ‘intense’ after a report about how he was handling questions after his rehab start in Altoona. Did the one blown save from Dennis Santana crush his legacy with Don Kelly? The guys asked Jason about Konnor Griffin moving about the lineup. Is Pittsburgh a ‘mediocre’ baseball town? Jason said the team has to earn the trust of the fans since we have only witnessed 3 playoff teams in 30+ years. Name Game.

Did the entire Steelers schedule get leaked? Is it true that the Pirates have the 6th most-expensive ticket in baseball? It can’t be, right? Is it fair to put the pressure on the fans for not showing up in big numbers at the ballpark? Manager’s Minute – What did Don Kelly say after today’s game?

Drew Allar is going under a total reboot courtesy of Mike McCarthy. Is that a bad sign for the rookie QB? What does it say about the teachings at Penn State? If Aaron Rodgers is their guy this year, when will we really know if this work has paid off for Allar? The guys don’t want that to impact their plans in the 2027 NFL Draft. KDKA TV’s Bob Pompeani joined the show. We reacted as the Pirates defeated the Rockies, 7-2, to take the series at PNC Park. Bob credited Endy Rodriguez for his work in the first game of the season, getting 2 hits in his 2026 debut. Bob said he’s not a fan of the ‘opener’ method, but it worked out for Don Kelly and his club today. What do we think the future looks like for Jared Jones that is working through his rehab assignment? Attendance of over 19k today in the afternoon finale at PNC Park just days after barely 13k watched Paul Skenes dazzle. Pomp said fans have good reason to not be there in droves just yet after so much losing baseball in the last 3 decades. The guys peppered Bob on a few questions about the NFL schedule. Bucco Minute – Calls after the Pirates 7-2 victory over the Rockies.

Pirates insider Jason Mackey joined the show. Jason reacted to a Pirates series win over the Rockies. The Pirates started Endy Rodriguez, who immediately provided as much offense as Henry Davis has all season. Jason thinks if Endy hits, he will play, even though Davis provides the good defense. Jason thinks Carmen Mlodzinski heads to the bullpen when Jared Jones returns, even though he’s arguably been better than Bubba Chandler this season. Jason described Jones as ‘intense’ after a report about how he was handling questions after his rehab start in Altoona. Did the one blown save from Dennis Santana crush his legacy with Don Kelly? The guys asked Jason about Konnor Griffin moving about the lineup. Is Pittsburgh a ‘mediocre’ baseball town? Jason said the team has to earn the trust of the fans since we have only witnessed 3 playoff teams in 30+ years.

KDKA TV’s Bob Pompeani joined the show. We reacted as the Pirates defeated the Rockies, 7-2, to take the series at PNC Park. Bob credited Endy Rodriguez for his work in the first game of the season, getting 2 hits in his 2026 debut. Bob said he’s not a fan of the ‘opener’ method, but it worked out for Don Kelly and his club today. What do we think the future looks like for Jared Jones that is working through his rehab assignment? Attendance of over 19k today in the afternoon finale at PNC Park just days after barely 13k watched Paul Skenes dazzle. Pomp said fans have good reason to not be there in droves just yet after so much losing baseball in the last 3 decades. The guys peppered Bob on a few questions about the NFL schedule.

Drew Allar is going under a total reboot courtesy of Mike McCarthy. Is that a bad sign for the rookie QB? What does it say about the teachings at Penn State? If Aaron Rodgers is their guy this year, when will we really know if this work has paid off for Allar? The guys don’t want that to impact their plans in the 2027 NFL Draft.

It is NFL Schedule Release day. What do we know so far? The thrill is in the chase as we try to piece together the Steelers schedule before it officially gets unveiled at 8 pm.

PM Team FULL Show 5-13-26

Aaron Rodgers fooled a lot of people into thinking he was still an elite QB after week 1 last year. Is there really still a point in Rodgers returning to Pittsburgh this year. Poni does not think the Steelers will tell the truth about anything Aaron Rodgers related right now. He thinks that they are scared that they will offend Rodgers. Mullsy thinks that this is pathetic on the Steelers’ end. ALL ACCESS w/ Aditi – Aditi thinks it weird that Rodgers would come to Pittsburgh and not meet with anybody in the Steelers organization. She questions if he was ever actually here at all. She also says that part of the reason why the Steelers hired McCarthy is his ability to develop quarterbacks. Allar said at the combine that Mike McCarthy was the most interesting interaction he had. Donny Football Debrief – The Packers and Rams will play on Netflix on Thanksgiving Eve.

The Steelers will play the Saints in Paris this season. The estimated cost for this whole trip is about $4000-$5000. The guys think that there will be a bunch of Steelers fans that make the trip out to France, and that it will be a similar crowd to the games that are played in London. Donny is hearing that the Steelers are rumored to be playing on Christmas against the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. This feels like a weird game to be played on Christmas, at least according to the guys. The Steelers have apparently uninstalled basically every one of Drew Allar’s QB mechanics. Allar is moving through drills at half-speed right now. Poni thinks that Allar will be QB3, and that Will Howard will have to prove that he is ready to be Aaron Rodgers’ backup. Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined the show. Aaron Rodgers came to Pittsburgh without telling anybody within the Steelers organization just to play golf. The Steelers never even knew where he was. Mike thinks that Rodgers is overestimating how much interest other organizations would have in him if their QB position were to become open. It is also obvious that the Cardinals are not interested in Rodgers. Florio says that the Steelers are not realistically built to actually compete this year. Mike thinks that there will be a lot of Steelers fans that go to France this year.

Another gem from Paul Skenes as the Pirates beat the Rockies, 3-1 at PNC Park. Skenes tossed 8 scoreless innings for the second consecutive start and carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning. A footnote from the game is the lack of people in the crowd. There were only around 13k tickets sold and fewer than that in the building. It spurred comments about Pittsburgh being a ‘mediocre’ baseball town from a retired Pittsburgh sports writer. Is he right? Is it a blackeye on the fans to not have a bigger number at the ballpark? The guys defended Pittsburghers on this one. The Pirates drew 31,000+ fans per game in 2015. Is Pittsburgh a good or lousy baseball town? Former Penguin Tyler Kennedy joined the show. TK is a member at a local golf course that was rumored to be visited by Aaron Rodgers this weekend, but he didn’t have confirmation on that. Will Evgeni Malkin be back? Does Kyle Dubas have something up his sleeve once we hit free agency? With how much power Sidney Crosby has over the organization, how does that factor into the offseason plans? TK told the guys to look out for Vincent Trocheck to be signed by the Penguins. Even at 33, TK said Trocheck does a lot of things that a championship team needs.

93.7 The Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Jeff reacted to Konnor Griffin moving up to #2 in the lineup tonight as the Buccos play a lefty. If Marcel Ozuna doesn’t pick it up by month’s end, is he in trouble of losing his role entirely? There’s an update on Jared Jones and it’s that he is refusing to answer questions about pitching out of the bullpen. Jeff didn’t want to criticize fans for not being at the ballpark last night due to the current economic climate.

Donny Football Debrief – The Packers and Rams will play on Netflix on Thanksgiving Eve.

Aaron Rodgers fooled a lot of people into thinking he was still an elite QB after week 1 last year. Is there really still a point in Rodgers returning to Pittsburgh this year. Poni does not think the Steelers will tell the truth about anything Aaron Rodgers related right now. He thinks that they are scared that they will offend Rodgers. Mullsy thinks that this is pathetic on the Steelers’ end.

Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined the show. Aaron Rodgers came to Pittsburgh without telling anybody within the Steelers organization just to play golf. The Steelers never even knew where he was. Mike thinks that Rodgers is overestimating how much interest other organizations would have in him if their QB position were to become open. It is also obvious that the Cardinals are not interested in Rodgers. Florio says that the Steelers are not realistically built to actually compete this year. Mike thinks that there will be a lot of Steelers fans that go to France this year.

The Steelers will play the Saints in Paris this season. The estimated cost for this whole trip is about $4000-$5000. The guys think that there will be a bunch of Steelers fans that make the trip out to France, and that it will be a similar crowd to the games that are played in London. Donny is hearing that the Steelers are rumored to be playing on Christmas against the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. This feels like a weird game to be played on Christmas, at least according to the guys.

Name Game

Another gem from Paul Skenes as the Pirates beat the Rockies, 3-1 at PNC Park. Skenes tossed 8 scoreless innings for the second consecutive start and carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning. A footnote from the game is the lack of people in the crowd. There were only around 13k tickets sold and fewer than that in the building. It spurred comments about Pittsburgh being a ‘mediocre’ baseball town from a retired Pittsburgh sports writer. Is he right? Is it a blackeye on the fans to not have a bigger number at the ballpark? The guys defended Pittsburghers on this one. The Pirates drew 31,000+ fans per game in 2015.

PM Team FULL Show 5-12-26

Omar Khan joined the Deebo and Joe podcast to say that the Steelers are in communication with Aaron Rodgers and his agent. He did not elaborate on that. Poni thinks that this means that things are not going well with the Steelers and Rodgers. The Steelers created the impression that the Rodgers situation would not drag on this year, and obviously, it has. Mullsy says that Rodgers acts like he does not want to be the center of attention, but that is definitely not the case. How close is TJ Watt to not being a good player anymore? Mullsy thinks that he is closer than most people think. Is it even worth it for the Steelers to bring Aaron Rodgers back at this point? Donny Football Debrief – The first MNF game has been announced, but we don’t know where the game will take place. More NFL schedule leaks.

Mike McCarthy has had nothing but praise for Drew Allar thus far. Poni says that he is starting to come around on McCarthy, although he is not all the way there yet. Mike Defabo said that Mike McCarthy gave more feedback to Drew Allar than Mike Tomlin ever did to Ben Roethlisberger in his career. Poni thinks that this is because Tomlin just did not know how to develop quarterbacks. Mullsy originally gave the McCarthy hire an F-, but he has since updated that grade to a C. Do the Steelers or Ravens have a better roster at this point in time? Callers chime in on the Steelers. What are the masses thoughts on Mike McCarthy and Drew Allar? Bucco Minute – The Pirates are the biggest favorite they have been since 2005. You have to bet $335 to win $100 on them to beat the Rockies tonight. The last time they were a favorite this big was Pirates vs Rockies in 2005. Zach Duke pitched against Jeff Francis. Donny successfully named the entire starting lineup for the Pirates in this game.

Kyle Dubas held his end-of-season press conference today and the big question & answer was in regard to the future of Evgeni Malkin. Is that the smartest move by the Penguins right now? He was still a point per game player this past season and really isn’t blocking an abundance of young talent since he made the move from center to wing. All along it felt like the tea leaves were saying the Penguins wouldn’t bring him back, but today made fans and media feel as if their goal was to have Malkin run it back. Do fans want the Penguins to bring back Evgeni Malkin? Does Kyle Dubas have something up his sleeve this offseason? Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz joined the show. Ferentz is a Western PA guy and would also know better than anyone about the recent Steelers draft picks that played for him at Iowa. Kirk jokingly advised Gennings Dunker to not eat any fish he catches in The Mon. Kirk talked about the emergence of Hawkeyes that have gotten drafted by the Steelers in recent years. Kirk said he has a ton of respect for the Steelers organization. The guys had Kirk breakdown the vibe of Dunker, with the red mullet and personality so fitting to be an offensive lineman. He said Dunker is much smarter than he looks and very wise to the game. Kirk raved about Dunker as a teammate and person. Kirk things Dunker is a good fit to start his NFL career at guard and maybe move to tackle, what he played at Iowa, later in his career. The Steelers also drafted Kaden Wetjen, the return specialist – what can he bring to the Steelers? Kirk said Wetjen was a walk-on that turned into a star with the Hawkeyes, emerging as one of the best return men in the Big 10. The Steelers drafted Kaleb Johnson in 2025, the former Iowa RB, who failed to make much of an impact as a rookie. Kirk said Johnson didn’t start fast with Iowa, but finished his career extremely strong. He said Johnson had some focus issues his first few seasons in college, but was ‘wired in’ for his final year. Chris made sure to ask Kirk about the Iowa victory over Penn State nearly 20 years ago with the Hawkeyes beating the Nittany Lions 6-4 at Beaver Stadium. Going back to his Pittsburgh roots, Kirk talked about the 1979 Pirates, his favorite childhood team. Kirk talked about the origin of the Iowa uniforms and why they match the Steelers.

Donny Football Debrief – The first MNF game has been announced, but we don’t know where the game will take place. More NFL schedule leaks.

Omar Khan joined the Deebo and Joe podcast to say that the Steelers are in communication with Aaron Rodgers and his agent. He did not elaborate on that. Poni thinks that this means that things are not going well with the Steelers and Rodgers. The Steelers created the impression that the Rodgers situation would not drag on this year, and obviously, it has. Mullsy says that Rodgers acts like he does not want to be the center of attention, but that is definitely not the case.

Bucco Minute – The Pirates are the biggest favorite they have been since 2005. You have to bet $335 to win $100 on them to beat the Rockies tonight. The last time they were a favorite this big was Pirates vs Rockies in 2005. Zach Duke pitched against Jeff Francis. Donny successfully named the entire starting lineup for the Pirates in this game.

Mike McCarthy has had nothing but praise for Drew Allar thus far. Poni says that he is starting to come around on McCarthy, although he is not all the way there yet. Mike Defabo said that Mike McCarthy gave more feedback to Drew Allar than Mike Tomlin ever did to Ben Roethlisberger in his career. Poni thinks that this is because Tomlin just did not know how to develop quarterbacks. Mullsy originally gave the McCarthy hire an F-, but he has since updated that grade to a C.

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz joined the show. Ferentz is a Western PA guy and would also know better than anyone about the recent Steelers draft picks that played for him at Iowa. Kirk jokingly advised Gennings Dunker to not eat any fish he catches in The Mon. Kirk talked about the emergence of Hawkeyes that have gotten drafted by the Steelers in recent years. Kirk said he has a ton of respect for the Steelers organization. The guys had Kirk breakdown the vibe of Dunker, with the red mullet and personality so fitting to be an offensive lineman. He said Dunker is much smarter than he looks and very wise to the game. Kirk raved about Dunker as a teammate and person. Kirk things Dunker is a good fit to start his NFL career at guard and maybe move to tackle, what he played at Iowa, later in his career. The Steelers also drafted Kaden Wetjen, the return specialist – what can he bring to the Steelers? Kirk said Wetjen was a walk-on that turned into a star with the Hawkeyes, emerging as one of the best return men in the Big 10. The Steelers drafted Kaleb Johnson in 2025, the former Iowa RB, who failed to make much of an impact as a rookie. Kirk said Johnson didn’t start fast with Iowa, but finished his career extremely strong. He said Johnson had some focus issues his first few seasons in college, but was ‘wired in’ for his final year. Chris made sure to ask Kirk about the Iowa victory over Penn State nearly 20 years ago with the Hawkeyes beating the Nittany Lions 6-4 at Beaver Stadium. Going back to his Pittsburgh roots, Kirk talked about the 1979 Pirates, his favorite childhood team. Kirk talked about the origin of the Iowa uniforms and why they match the Steelers.

Kyle Dubas held his end-of-season press conference today and the big question & answer was in regard to the future of Evgeni Malkin. Is that the smartest move by the Penguins right now? He was still a point per game player this past season and really isn’t blocking an abundance of young talent since he made the move from center to wing. All along it felt like the tea leaves were saying the Penguins wouldn’t bring him back, but today made fans and media feel as if their goal was to have Malkin run it back.

PM Team FULL Show 5-11-26

Chris Boswell and the Steelers agreed to terms today on a 4-year deal worth $28M that locks the kicker up through the 2030 season. The contract ties Boswell with Brandon Aubrey as the league’s highest-paid kicker. Side note – why does the local media always post different contract details to make it seem like the team got a better deal? Boswell is 6th all-time in field goal percentage, behind a few other current guys, but carrying a longer tenure than almost all of them. Poni thinks Boswell will be more valuable than Aaron Rodgers next season, assuming the QB comes back. How would you grade their offseason so far? It feels like most of their moves are in the ‘good’ category instead of the ‘bad’ as of right now. We have more tea on the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini situation. NFL writer Tyler Dunne from Go Long TD dot com joined the show. Years ago, Tyler wrote a story about the fallout of Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy while in Green Bay. Tyler said it was pretty ugly between the coach and QB with the Packers and has his doubts it can reconcile into success in Pittsburgh. Tyler feels like this is a case of both people having no other options. Tyler wondered if Rodgers will be checked out this time around with McCarthy the way he was in his final seasons in Green Bay. Tyler said ‘it’s hard to see this ending well.’ Tyler has some belief that Rodgers never forgave McCarthy for liking Alex Smith more than him, as the 49ers OC, coming out of the 2005 NFL Draft. Is Rodgers still a savant that is good enough to get this team over the top? Tyler hopes that McCarthy stands up for himself this time around. Tyler believes that Rodgers would have retired by now if he didn’t want to play anymore.

Mike McCarthy raved about Drew Allar on Saturday, saying that he made a very good first impression. There is definitely some excitement and buzz surrounding the Steelers third-round pick. Poni is not a fan of the Steelers first-round pick Max Iheanachor, as he thinks the Steelers have to teach him how to play his own position. Does Mike McCarthy deserve any credit for developing Aaron Rodgers? Mullsy says that he should take credit, even if he doesn’t deserve it. Mark Kaboly was in awe watching Drew Allar throw the football. More on the Steelers rookie orientation. Calls. Donny Football Debrief – More NFL schedule leaks for 2026.

The Pirates dropped the series finale in San Francisco in 12 innings and went 3-3 on the road trip out west. The Pirates outfield defense has been absolutely atrocious this year. Poni says that he feels good about Soto and Santana in the bullpen, but that’s it. Former MLB pitcher Matt Clement joined the show. Matt says that he would not give up either one of Barco or Johnson for Brooks Raley, who the Pirates are reportedly looking to acquire. Matt does not like the potential idea of a 6-man rotation upon the return of Jared Jones. Bucco Auction House – Nick Gonzales batting average, Konnor Griffin homers, Gregory Soto saves.

Another weekend goes by without Aaron Rodgers signing with the Steelers. Did he catch onto the scent that people knew he would be in town? The guys wanted to start with something that was brought up last week – is Rodgers a ‘washed-up diva’? The guys think you can argue he’s more of a diva than he is washed-up. The numbers looked fine last year, but did he pass the eye-test? Is Aaron Rodgers a diva? Does he even want to be here? Mo Egger from ESPN Radio in Cincinnati joined the show. Mo saw every snap from Brendan Sorsby last season covering the Cincinnati Bearcats. Sorsby is likely going to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft after he was busted for gambling last month when he was part of the Indiana Hoosiers roster. Mo said he’s been wondering if he’s missing something about Sorsby, since everyone is labeling him early as a future NFL star. Mo said the performances were so uneven and up & down from Sorsby in 2025 that he finds it hard to believe that he will be a future Top 10 caliber player. Mo broke down some of the shaky games from Sorsby last season while adding that he doesn’t expect the QB to play in college ever again. Mo said he truly doesn’t understand what everyone is falling in love with when they watch Sorsby play. The guys asked Mo about the tricky situation Sorsby is in after allegedly wagering on college football as a college football player, which is a big no-no.

Chris Boswell and the Steelers agreed to terms today on a 4-year deal worth $28M that locks the kicker up through the 2030 season. The contract ties Boswell with Brandon Aubrey as the league’s highest-paid kicker. Side note – why does the local media always post different contract details to make it seem like the team got a better deal? Boswell is 6th all-time in field goal percentage, behind a few other current guys, but carrying a longer tenure than almost all of them. Poni thinks Boswell will be more valuable than Aaron Rodgers next season, assuming the QB comes back. How would you grade their offseason so far? It feels like most of their moves are in the ‘good’ category instead of the ‘bad’ as of right now.

Donny Football Debrief – More NFL schedule leaks for 2026.

Mike McCarthy raved about Drew Allar on Saturday, saying that he made a very good first impression. There is definitely some excitement and buzz surrounding the Steelers third-round pick. Poni is not a fan of the Steelers first-round pick Max Iheanachor, as he thinks the Steelers have to teach him how to play his own position. Does Mike McCarthy deserve any credit for developing Aaron Rodgers? Mullsy says that he should take credit, even if he doesn’t deserve it. Mark Kaboly was in awe watching Drew Allar throw the football.

Former MLB pitcher Matt Clement joined the show. Matt says that he would not give up either one of Barco or Johnson for Brooks Raley, who the Pirates are reportedly looking to acquire. Matt does not like the potential idea of a 6-man rotation upon the return of Jared Jones.

The Pirates dropped the series finale in San Francisco in 12 innings and went 3-3 on the road trip out west. The Pirates outfield defense has been absolutely atrocious this year. Poni says that he feels good about Soto and Santana in the bullpen, but that’s it.

Mo Egger from ESPN Radio in Cincinnati joined the show. Mo saw every snap from Brendan Sorsby last season covering the Cincinnati Bearcats. Sorsby is likely going to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft after he was busted for gambling last month when he was part of the Indiana Hoosiers roster. Mo said he’s been wondering if he’s missing something about Sorsby, since everyone is labeling him early as a future NFL star. Mo said the performances were so uneven and up & down from Sorsby in 2025 that he finds it hard to believe that he will be a future Top 10 caliber player. Mo broke down some of the shaky games from Sorsby last season while adding that he doesn’t expect the QB to play in college ever again. Mo said he truly doesn’t understand what everyone is falling in love with when they watch Sorsby play. The guys asked Mo about the tricky situation Sorsby is in after allegedly wagering on college football as a college football player, which is a big no-no.

Another weekend goes by without Aaron Rodgers signing with the Steelers. Did he catch onto the scent that people knew he would be in town? The guys wanted to start with something that was brought up last week – is Rodgers a ‘washed-up diva’? The guys think you can argue he’s more of a diva than he is washed-up. The numbers looked fine last year, but did he pass the eye-test?

Crowley and Dorin reported that Aaron Rodgers is coming to Pittsburgh this weekend… then came the fall out!

5-8 PM Team Full Show

5-8 PM Team 5pm Hour

A wild Open Phone Friday

UFOs are around. Does Mullsy believe aliens have contacted humans? Tony Todd is a highly underrated actor and I tell Mullsy about Daniel Robataille. Mullsy does a Omar Khan retrospective. Where do Steelers fans stand regarding the team's GM? Mullsy says the Khan era is summarized by mixed first round picks and reach draft picks. Kaleb Johnson and Roman Wilson come to mind. Mullsy says that the overall picture painted by Khan is not new for the Steelers.

Full hour with Mark Kaboly in the studio to recap the Aaron Rodgers saga

5-8 PM Team 3pm Hour

Matt Clement joins the show. He says people still send him baseball cards to sign still and he does not know why. Yesterday was the ten year anniversary of Bartolo Colon hitting his one in a million home run. Matt discusses how crucial the additions of Lowe and O'Hearn have been to the Pirates and how they can be taken seriously now. Clement says that the lineup DK had when he took over last year is night and day compared to the one he has now.