Starkey & Mueller

PM Team FULL Show 1-22-26

The biggest sleeper candidate for the Steelers head coaching job is Anthony Weaver. He interviews tomorrow in-person. His defenses haven’t been great in Miami, but are there some qualities to make him a head coach? John Harbaugh gave a great endorsement of Weaver when he was part of his staff. We heard a few clips of Weaver talking to media in Miami this season. He feels like another guy that can win a press conference. Can Weaver be the rare guy that is a better head coach than coordinator? If he’s a good/great CEO coach for a few years, would he get too high on his own supply and give himself too much control? Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo from the PG joined the show. Ray doesn’t think the chat with Mike McCarthy was for charity and the veteran HC has a real shot at this job. Does Anthony Weaver have a better chance than a lot of people are giving him credit for? The guys asked Ray about the two candidates from the Rams and if they are the leaders in the clubhouse right now. Ray isn’t sure if/when Brian

The guys reacted to speculation that Mario Cristobal could be worked into the mix of Steelers coaching candidates. There’s also a report out there from ESPN that some coaches are worried about the Steelers job because Art Rooney II is ‘cheap’ and the organization needs to bump up salaries and size of staff. We will find out something when the new coach is hired – if it was a Rooney money thing or a Mike Tomlin thing when it came to staff size. Imagine if someone like Chris Shula said ‘no’ to the role because he knew his staff would have limitations. Shouldn’t the Steelers have savings from not having to pay Tomlin anymore? Steve Palazzolo from the 33rd Team joined the show. Steve laughed at Mario Cristobal being a name thrown around for the Steelers job – suggesting Curt Cignetti as the only college coach in this cycle he would expect to get looks. Steve talked about a few teams that don’t send personnel to events like the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine. Steve doesn’t understand how Mike McCarthy would make se

Are the Steelers really considering hiring Mike McCarthy and bringing back Aaron Rodgers? ESPN talking heads say it would be a disaster, so we aren’t alone. One NFL insider says the Steelers are down to McCarthy along with Chris Shula and Brian Flores. The guys are starting to think it’s down to McCarthy and the Rams’ guys. Some shade being thrown across networks by a former Pitt RB. KDKA TV’s Bob Pompeani joined the show. Pomp is still feeling good about Chris Shula being the next Steelers head coach and hopes he would bring Nate Scheelhaase with him. Bob doesn’t understand why Klint Kubiak has never been on their list. Bob doesn’t want Mike McCarthy as the head coach, but would like if he’s with the team in some capacity. Bob thinks the Steelers always want to be in the position to have a chance even when they don’t have a QB of the future. What if the McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers partnership continues in Pittsburgh next season? The guys asked Bob about the argument yesterday about Will Howard and Fernando

Brian Flores signed an extension with the Vikings as their DC, but that does not officially take him out of the Steelers HC search. Or does it? The guys think it’s a sign that Flores knows he won’t be getting a head job in this cycle. But is anyone upset about this? Can we find anyone that is upset about Brian Flores being virtually removed from the Steelers HC search? Pirates insider Jason Mackey from the PG joined the show. Jason recently had a sit-down with Paul Skenes, so the Pirates ace was the first topic of conversation. Skenes doesn’t care about the payroll in Pittsburgh. Jason said Paul doesn’t believe the Pirates are deficient on talent and is happy with what has happened this offseason. Jason talked about the Pirates push for making a couple of moves this offseason, which is much different than the usual approach. He talked about the front office grasping where they are as a franchise and having the best pitcher in baseball. Are the Pirates done? Jason thinks a trade for Alec Bohm could be an

Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo from the PG joined the show. Ray doesn’t think the chat with Mike McCarthy was for charity and the veteran HC has a real shot at this job. Does Anthony Weaver have a better chance than a lot of people are giving him credit for? The guys asked Ray about the two candidates from the Rams and if they are the leaders in the clubhouse right now. Ray isn’t sure if/when Brian Flores will get back into the head coaching ranks as he signed an extension with the Vikings last night. The guys reacted to the breaking news of Jesse Minter being named head coach of the Ravens. Ray thinks the search will be over sometime next week and thinks it will be one of the Rams’ guys.

Steve Palazzolo from the 33rd Team joined the show. Steve laughed at Mario Cristobal being a name thrown around for the Steelers job – suggesting Curt Cignetti as the only college coach in this cycle he would expect to get looks. Steve talked about a few teams that don’t send personnel to events like the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine. Steve doesn’t understand how Mike McCarthy would make sense with this job. Steve thinks it could be too early for someone like Nate Scheelhaase as a head coach and he wants to see him work as an offensive coordinator first. Steve pointed out some key differences in Fernando Mendoza and Will Howard, the latter called an ‘OK’ prospect by Steve. Steve got into the arm talent and strength traits that don’t often slip through the cracks if there isn’t much more to their game, like Anthony Richardson in comparison to Josh Allen. Should the Steelers call Sean McDermott? Steve said Yes.

The guys reacted to speculation that Mario Cristobal could be worked into the mix of Steelers coaching candidates. There’s also a report out there from ESPN that some coaches are worried about the Steelers job because Art Rooney II is ‘cheap’ and the organization needs to bump up salaries and size of staff. We will find out something when the new coach is hired – if it was a Rooney money thing or a Mike Tomlin thing when it came to staff size. Imagine if someone like Chris Shula said ‘no’ to the role because he knew his staff would have limitations. Shouldn’t the Steelers have savings from not having to pay Tomlin anymore?

KDKA TV’s Bob Pompeani joined the show. Pomp is still feeling good about Chris Shula being the next Steelers head coach and hopes he would bring Nate Scheelhaase with him. Bob doesn’t understand why Klint Kubiak has never been on their list. Bob doesn’t want Mike McCarthy as the head coach, but would like if he’s with the team in some capacity. Bob thinks the Steelers always want to be in the position to have a chance even when they don’t have a QB of the future. What if the McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers partnership continues in Pittsburgh next season? The guys asked Bob about the argument yesterday about Will Howard and Fernando Mendoza that got Austin up in arms. How would Bob power rank a hangout with the 3 Steelers head coaches since 1969? Pomp said he likes the Broncos getting the points this weekend.

Are the Steelers really considering hiring Mike McCarthy and bringing back Aaron Rodgers? ESPN talking heads say it would be a disaster, so we aren’t alone. One NFL insider says the Steelers are down to McCarthy along with Chris Shula and Brian Flores. The guys are starting to think it’s down to McCarthy and the Rams’ guys. Some shade being thrown across networks by a former Pitt RB.

Pirates insider Jason Mackey from the PG joined the show. Jason recently had a sit-down with Paul Skenes, so the Pirates ace was the first topic of conversation. Skenes doesn’t care about the payroll in Pittsburgh. Jason said Paul doesn’t believe the Pirates are deficient on talent and is happy with what has happened this offseason. Jason talked about the Pirates push for making a couple of moves this offseason, which is much different than the usual approach. He talked about the front office grasping where they are as a franchise and having the best pitcher in baseball. Are the Pirates done? Jason thinks a trade for Alec Bohm could be an option, but he would also not be surprised if the team called up Konnor Griffin before Opening Day. Is Eugenio Suarez a pipe dream or a real thing?

Brian Flores signed an extension with the Vikings as their DC, but that does not officially take him out of the Steelers HC search. Or does it? The guys think it’s a sign that Flores knows he won’t be getting a head job in this cycle. But is anyone upset about this?

PM Team FULL Show 1-21-26

Would there be this much love for Mike McCarthy if he wasn’t from Pittsburgh? Ben Roethlisberger brought up McCarthy knowing the ‘Steelers Way’ because he is from here. That seems like it’s a pretty made-up narrative. 93.7 The Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Jeff said the Mike McCarthy interview is more serious than just a courtesy chat. Jeff thinks the Steelers will go through all of their interviews before deciding. Why haven’t any other teams had McCarthy high on their list? The guys said Chris Shula better skip a generation of greatness because his dad and uncle were terrible head coaches while his grandpa is an all-time great. Jeff said he is not surprised that Nate Scheelhaase popped in his interview with the Steelers. How much of a shot does Anthony Weaver have? Do the Steelers consider if a candidate has ties to an AFC North rival? Jeff said he has ‘heard too much’ about Shula when it comes to being the next Steelers head coach. Will the Steelers add to their coaching staff and wi

Nate Scheelhaase reportedly gave off ‘Mike Tomlin’ vibes in his first interview with the Steelers. If you want Scheelhaase, that should be music to your ears. Tomlin won over the Steelers two decades ago in the interview process when the whole world thought it would be Russ Grimm. Are there hold ups and reasons to worry about Scheelhaase? Would a coach like that want to go somewhere tough like Vegas or Cleveland for his first job? ALL ACCESS w/ Aditi – Aditi talked about the details of a coaching search and why the interviews should go both ways. Aditi talked about the operations with different teams and how the staffs can be drastically different around the league. Did Mike Tomlin ‘mask’ a lot of bad things going on with the Steelers? Aditi said she isn’t surprised by the lack of offensive minds getting interviews, which expanded to the lack of chance for both Klint Kubiak and Klay Kubiak in this process. Aditi doesn’t think offensive minded coaches have a clear advantage over defensive guys because there

Do the Steelers have to shoot for an offensive minded guy in this hiring process? The only two guys they have interviewed that fall under that umbrella are Mike McCarthy and Klay Kubiak. It’s not as good of a cycle as last year was with offensive brainpower, but there needs to be a plan to build the offense and have an idea at QB. Is there a concern that if the Steelers go with a defensive leader they are left looking for OCs every few seasons? Would Mike McCarthy be an F-hire? Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined the show. Mike said it’s not your father’s (or grandfather’s) Steelers in reaction to Mike McCarthy being among the favorites for the Steelers job. Mike thinks the Steelers should pivot to an offensive guy because of the way the game has changed. Mike doesn’t agree with the belief that a McCarthy hire would mean an Aaron Rodgers return to Pittsburgh. Mike brought up an interesting postgame comment made by McCarthy following a playoff loss a few years ago in Dallas. He said there are some at

Is Mike McCarthy the new favorite to be the next head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers? That feeling is starting to rise up. Is that the best option for the Steelers? If he can develop a QB, it can be very beneficial, but he doesn’t have the long-term game left in him. Poni said he would take McCarthy over Brian Flores at this point. Is anyone starting to come around on this? A caller asked if a McCarthy hire would result in an Aaron Rodgers return. Calls on the idea of Mike McCarthy as next head coach. Former Penguin Tyler Kennedy joined the show. Should the Penguins go for it and make some moves at this trade deadline while they sit in a playoff spot? TK said Kyle Dubas should keep looking for young talent to help out this current team. Tyler thinks the Olympics have played a big factor in Sidney Crosby continuing to play at such a high level. He described Sid as a ‘complete freak’ and said he’s enjoying all of this in the later years of his career. TK ranked his favorite western Canadian cities.

93.7 The Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Jeff said the Mike McCarthy interview is more serious than just a courtesy chat. Jeff thinks the Steelers will go through all of their interviews before deciding. Why haven’t any other teams had McCarthy high on their list? The guys said Chris Shula better skip a generation of greatness because his dad and uncle were terrible head coaches while his grandpa is an all-time great. Jeff said he is not surprised that Nate Scheelhaase popped in his interview with the Steelers. How much of a shot does Anthony Weaver have? Do the Steelers consider if a candidate has ties to an AFC North rival? Jeff said he has ‘heard too much’ about Shula when it comes to being the next Steelers head coach. Will the Steelers add to their coaching staff and will they modernize a little bit more to the active game?

ALL ACCESS w/ Aditi – Aditi talked about the details of a coaching search and why the interviews should go both ways. Aditi talked about the operations with different teams and how the staffs can be drastically different around the league. Did Mike Tomlin ‘mask’ a lot of bad things going on with the Steelers? Aditi said she isn’t surprised by the lack of offensive minds getting interviews, which expanded to the lack of chance for both Klint Kubiak and Klay Kubiak in this process. Aditi doesn’t think offensive minded coaches have a clear advantage over defensive guys because there are plenty of defensive examples shining in today’s game. When does a CEO style coach work? Aditi said her two favorites for the job would still be Jesse Minter and Brian Flores.

Nate Scheelhaase reportedly gave off ‘Mike Tomlin’ vibes in his first interview with the Steelers. If you want Scheelhaase, that should be music to your ears. Tomlin won over the Steelers two decades ago in the interview process when the whole world thought it would be Russ Grimm. Are there hold ups and reasons to worry about Scheelhaase? Would a coach like that want to go somewhere tough like Vegas or Cleveland for his first job?