Starkey & Mueller

The waiting game on Aaron Rodgers will continue with the Steelers as we enter the week of the NFL Draft. The 22-year vet has yet to give the team an answer, even though he is reportedly in ‘regular communication’ with Mike McCarthy. The guys are tired and don’t want this to continue. Do you? The feeling is that the team should move on here.

Two Penguins stars talk playoffs, Pirates hero A.J. Burnett on returning to Pittsburgh as Bucs begin big series against Rays.

PM Team FULL Show 4-17-26

Steelers correspondent Mark Kaboly from The Pat McAfee Show joined the show. Mark, a Little League legend, had some advice for Mullsy ahead of his first pitch tonight. Mark didn’t have anything off-the-record from the Steelers in regards to the draft. He wouldn’t be shocked if the Steelers move up 4-5 spots in the 1st round if someone they loved is still on the board. Is Omar Khan bound to make a big splash? Kaboom is getting the feel that WR is starting to pull away again as the Steelers 1st round priority. What about this smoke around offensive tackle? Mark hates the idea of safety in the 1st round. More w/ Mark – Jordyn Tyson worked out for a handful of NFL teams today. Did he play his way out of being available 21st overall? With the regime change, Mark said it’s hard to know if the Steelers will have the same draft strategy as before. Mark doesn’t understand the idea of taking a QB in this draft unless it’s one of their final picks and it’s someone they can toss on the practice squad. Is Will Howard re

Top 5 moments in the Penguins-Flyers rivalry. Steelers insider Nick Farabaugh from Penn Live dot com joined the show. Nick was confused for Donny the other night at the Pirates game. Nick said it’s a limited pool of players that fit into the typical formula requirements leading up to the draft. Nick thinks it’s more likely that Omar Cooper Jr. is the name called at 21 less than a week away from the 1st round. Nick still believes WR is the position they will go with because it’s a group that features about 6 guys that have 1st round grades. Nick could see Makai Lemon sliding a little bit next Thursday, but it would still require a trade up. He thinks the Steelers moving up the board in the 2nd round is very likely. Nick pointed to the 99th overall pick as one the Steelers could use as a chess piece next week, unless they decided to draft a QB with that selection. Nick said the gap between Ty Simpson and the QB3 of this class is massive and he wouldn’t be surprised if the rest of that crew falls to the 4th ro

It’s a massive weekend in Pittsburgh sports. The Penguins-Flyers series begins tomorrow night and the Pirates open a series at PNC Park against the Rays with Mullsy throwing out the first pitch. Poni picked the Penguins to win the series in 7 games, but he isn’t confident. He also believes the officials will call things the right way because they saw his post about Rick Tocchet wanting his team to take out Sidney Crosby. Will there be a surprise performance? Is anyone willing to pick the Penguins to lose? There looks to be an odd-man-out and it could be Justin Brazeau after a 17-goal season. There’s concern that Limits may catch a punch from a Flyers fan in State College this weekend. How are fans feeling one day before the Penguins-Flyers series begins? Penguins forward Rickard Rakell joined the show. Rakell made the move from winger to center this season due to some injuries, but was a nice part of the Penguins run to the playoffs. His first career goal came in the playoffs, which has to be an accolade

Former Pirates pitcher AJ Burnett joined the show. AJ gave Chris some advice ahead of his first pitch tonight. The guys joked with AJ about the time he hit a truck driving behind home plate during his warmup. AJ said to throw at the body, not the glove. AJ said he was honored to take part in the city connect announcement last week and to be part of this game tonight. AJ described this Pirates team as a set of grinders that have done the little things to get the job done. AJ predicted a Konnor Griffin home run tonight and can’t get over the size of the 19-year-old. AJ talked about how much his connection to the city of Pittsburgh means and the perfect fit it was way back when. He loves that he was part of the team that got the Pirates back to the playoffs for this city. AJ had advice for the young pitchers on the staff and how they can become the best version of themselves. AJ was pumped to see a lot of these guys in the spring when he sent a few days at the facility. He gave a breakdown of Bubba Chandler, who

Steelers insider Nick Farabaugh from Penn Live dot com joined the show. Nick was confused for Donny the other night at the Pirates game. Nick said it’s a limited pool of players that fit into the typical formula requirements leading up to the draft. Nick thinks it’s more likely that Omar Cooper Jr. is the name called at 21 less than a week away from the 1st round. Nick still believes WR is the position they will go with because it’s a group that features about 6 guys that have 1st round grades. Nick could see Makai Lemon sliding a little bit next Thursday, but it would still require a trade up. He thinks the Steelers moving up the board in the 2nd round is very likely. Nick pointed to the 99th overall pick as one the Steelers could use as a chess piece next week, unless they decided to draft a QB with that selection. Nick said the gap between Ty Simpson and the QB3 of this class is massive and he wouldn’t be surprised if the rest of that crew falls to the 4th round. He said Drew Allar and Carson Beck have got

Penguins forward Rickard Rakell joined the show. Rakell made the move from winger to center this season due to some injuries, but was a nice part of the Penguins run to the playoffs. His first career goal came in the playoffs, which has to be an accolade only a handful of players can claim. Rickard said it’s an unbelievable feeling to be back in the playoffs and he can’t wait for Game 1 tomorrow night. Rakell gave a glowing review of Dan Muse, who got the Penguins to the postseason in his first season behind the bench. The guys asked Rickard about the rivalry between the Flyers and Penguins, and his mindset as he gets set for his first taste of that feud in a playoff atmosphere.

It’s a massive weekend in Pittsburgh sports. The Penguins-Flyers series begins tomorrow night and the Pirates open a series at PNC Park against the Rays with Mullsy throwing out the first pitch. Poni picked the Penguins to win the series in 7 games, but he isn’t confident. He also believes the officials will call things the right way because they saw his post about Rick Tocchet wanting his team to take out Sidney Crosby. Will there be a surprise performance? Is anyone willing to pick the Penguins to lose? There looks to be an odd-man-out and it could be Justin Brazeau after a 17-goal season. There’s concern that Limits may catch a punch from a Flyers fan in State College this weekend.

PM Team FULL Show 4-16-26

Fans continued to sound off on the Pirates loss to the Nats, splitting the series at PNC Park. Pirates insider Jason Mackey joined the show. Tony Beasley is in the crosshairs after today’s loss for what happened with Oneil Cruz at third base in the 9th inning. The guys went through some of the more frustrating parts of the game. Jason wondered why Joey Bart didn’t take one on the elbow which would have won the Pirates the game. A little breakdown of the day from Konnor Griffin, which consisted of a tough gaffe trying to turn a double play and 2 hits at the dish. Jason said there was a weird rush to get Evan Sisk in the game in relief of Braxton Ashcraft. Jason was OK with the Pirates pitching to James Wood in the 10th as he proceeded to drive in the winning run. Manager’s Minute – What did Don Kelly say after today’s Pirates loss?

Steve Palazzolo from the 33rd Team joined the show. The in-person visits have wrapped up for the Steelers as we sit one week away from the NFL Draft. Steve does not see Drew Allar as a future franchise QB even though this time last year it looked like he would. Steve doesn’t care for player comps during draft season. Steve likes Carson Beck over a group that includes Allar, Garrett Nussmeier and Cole Payton. He said Nussmeier is a QB that can be effective in a dome or nice weather, but probably not in the AFC North. Steve acknowledged the massive risk to Taylen Green, but he might be worth the swing if you trust your offensive coaches. Steve said Vega Ioane is one of the safest picks in the draft and will plug & play Week 1. How does Steve see Denzel Boston, who could be on the Steelers 1st round board? Steve doesn’t think it’s smart to sellout your draft to select Carnell Tate – he added that nobody in this draft is worth that. It’s a final at PNC Park – the Nats have beaten the Pirates 8-7 in 10 innin

Poni had a list – a list of 10 names the Steelers could write on their draft card next Thursday night, according to someone connected to the team. With this being the first draft sans Mike Tomlin, things may operate a little differently than years past. There are some scenarios that the Steelers could move up or down, so it may not even be the name that is definitively chosen at 21st overall. The list included names of guys we have talked about for months, a few we’ve talked about a little bit, and a few that would require the Steelers to trade up that we haven’t mentioned much at all in a realistic sense. Is Omar Khan bound for another big swing? Is it far fetched to think the Steelers will make the big splash and trade up for someone like Tate? It’s hard to go wrong with an Ohio State WR. KDKA TV’s Bob Pompeani joined the show. Poni has a bone to pick with Bob and KDKA TV right away due to their countdown of WPIAL players drafted into the NFL. Does Rob Gronkowski belong on a list like that? We poked for a

We finally know the time for Game 1 of Penguins-Flyers. It will be Saturday night at 8 pm. It’s been a magical season for the Pens. What happens if that comes to an end in the first round? The guys think it’s a failure of a season if that’s how things go down. Is that fair, given how surprising this whole campaign has been? There is a fear that the Flyers will go after Sidney Crosby, but that’s what we should expect. Kyle Dubas can pat himself on the back for a few things this season, but perhaps nothing more than the hiring of Dan Muse. Would people see the season as a failure if the Penguins don’t make a playoff run? Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo from the PG joined the show. We are one week away from the NFL Draft. Will the Steelers select a QB at some point next weekend? Ray thinks Carson Beck is the name they will call because the Steelers, and Mike McCarthy, have a type – they want a bigger bodied guy. Ray thinks there are 5-6 guys in consideration to be the Steelers pick next Thursday night. Ray p

Pirates insider Jason Mackey joined the show. Tony Beasley is in the crosshairs after today’s loss for what happened with Oneil Cruz at third base in the 9th inning. The guys went through some of the more frustrating parts of the game. Jason wondered why Joey Bart didn’t take one on the elbow which would have won the Pirates the game. A little breakdown of the day from Konnor Griffin, which consisted of a tough gaffe trying to turn a double play and 2 hits at the dish. Jason said there was a weird rush to get Evan Sisk in the game in relief of Braxton Ashcraft. Jason was OK with the Pirates pitching to James Wood in the 10th as he proceeded to drive in the winning run.

It’s a final at PNC Park – the Nats have beaten the Pirates 8-7 in 10 innings. A lot to chew on after Oneil Cruz could have provided the game-winning run in the 9th, Konnor Griffin made his biggest defensive gaffe in a multi-hit performance, and more. The guys aren’t happy after this one.

Steve Palazzolo from the 33rd Team joined the show. The in-person visits have wrapped up for the Steelers as we sit one week away from the NFL Draft. Steve does not see Drew Allar as a future franchise QB even though this time last year it looked like he would. Steve doesn’t care for player comps during draft season. Steve likes Carson Beck over a group that includes Allar, Garrett Nussmeier and Cole Payton. He said Nussmeier is a QB that can be effective in a dome or nice weather, but probably not in the AFC North. Steve acknowledged the massive risk to Taylen Green, but he might be worth the swing if you trust your offensive coaches. Steve said Vega Ioane is one of the safest picks in the draft and will plug & play Week 1. How does Steve see Denzel Boston, who could be on the Steelers 1st round board? Steve doesn’t think it’s smart to sellout your draft to select Carnell Tate – he added that nobody in this draft is worth that.

KDKA TV’s Bob Pompeani joined the show. Poni has a bone to pick with Bob and KDKA TV right away due to their countdown of WPIAL players drafted into the NFL. Does Rob Gronkowski belong on a list like that? We poked for a few other names on or off the list. Terrelle Pryor was left off the list due to being selected in the supplemental draft. Pomp does get the feel that the Steelers will draft a QB next weekend. Bob is starting to get a little sense that it’s not a foregone conclusion Aaron Rodgers returns to Pittsburgh. Bob reacted to LIV golf close to shutting down operations.

Poni had a list – a list of 10 names the Steelers could write on their draft card next Thursday night, according to someone connected to the team. With this being the first draft sans Mike Tomlin, things may operate a little differently than years past. There are some scenarios that the Steelers could move up or down, so it may not even be the name that is definitively chosen at 21st overall. The list included names of guys we have talked about for months, a few we’ve talked about a little bit, and a few that would require the Steelers to trade up that we haven’t mentioned much at all in a realistic sense. Is Omar Khan bound for another big swing? Is it far fetched to think the Steelers will make the big splash and trade up for someone like Tate? It’s hard to go wrong with an Ohio State WR.