Starkey & Mueller

Steelers Super Bowl Champion Bryant McFadden joins the show. Who would he like to see start: Healthy Rudolph or Injured Rodgers? Can the Steelers create some separation in the AFC North?

Looking at the bigger picture in the AFC. With Buffalo losing to Houston last night, are there any clear favorites in the conference? The parity in the conference is the closest it has been in a while. Kansas City is 5-5 while Buffalo is 7-4. Do the Steelers have a chance to make a run in the AFC?

11-21 PM Team 2pm hour: Show open, phone calls, and Fair Game with Nick Farabaugh

Fair Game with Nick Farabaugh. Who does Nick think will start for the Steelers this Sunday? Nick says that it would take a lot for Rodgers not to play and would not have that short of a leash. If he was to have a short leash, Farabaugh says that they would just make him inactive. There seems to be concern about the status of Cam Heyward.

Mike Tomlin spoke moments before the guys took the air and said that "we will see how it goes" when it comes to Aaron Rodgers' health for the game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Rodgers is still listed as 'questionable'. Who will start on Sunday: Rodgers or Mason Rudolph? Both Poni and Mueller say that they think Rodgers will play.

PM Team FULL Show 11-20-25

The Bills and Texans kick off Week 12 of the NFL season tonight – 2 teams that were projected to win their division in the AFC. In fact, none of the preseason favorites to win their division are currently leading in the AFC. Is the AFC there for the taking? Poni doesn’t think any of the typical conference powers are as scary this season. There’s a real chance the Chiefs miss the playoffs completely. The guys think Mike Tomlin would be comfortable playing any team in the AFC right now. Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo from the PG joined the show. Ray said it’s a ‘better than 50% chance’ that Aaron Rodgers plays on Sunday. The guys asked Ray if Rodgers would be pushing to play if they weren’t in Chicago this weekend. How much of a gap exists between Rodgers and Mason Rudolph right now? Ray said Rudolph has been ‘money’ since that rough patch he hit in his second season back in 2019. Ray thinks there is a realistic chance Rudolph is the Week 1 starter in 2026. Ray said the coaches are really confident in James

Austin’s Answers – What did Teryl Austin say to the media today? Steve Palazzolo from the 33rd Team joined the show. Steve said he would rate Aaron Rodgers a 5.5/10 right now and Mason Rudolph a 4.5/10 – answering the same question Poni asked Pomp in the 3 pm hour. Steve isn’t convinced Rodgers is playing better football than Ben Roethlisberger did in his last couple years. Steve described Rodgers as ‘a tick off’ in his last few games. How good has the Steelers offensive line been in protection of Rodgers? Steve isn’t sure why Darius Slay would go right back into the Steelers lineup. Does Steve think the Steelers should have regret trading George Pickens? The guys asked Steve how good Darnell Washington has been and what kind of potential he has at over 300 pounds. Steve picked the Steelers to beat the Bears, sighting how lucky Chicago has been. Donny Football Debrief – Why did CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens get disciplined on MNF?

Smith’s Sayings – What did Arthur Smith say to the media today? KDKA TV’s Bob Pompeani joined the show. Did the Steelers make a mistake trading George Pickens? Bob said they are still chasing their WR2 spot. When is the last time Bob did a shot? Bob gives Aaron Rodgers a 6.5/10 right now, with Mason Rudolph right behind at 6/10. Is TJ Watt playing up to his contract so far? Bob is afraid about what Caleb Williams can bring to the table on Sunday, but expects a one-score game. Power Rankings – Top 5 SNL cast members.

Poni had a question for everyone to start today’s show – where did the Mason Rudolph love come from? How much of the heavy lifting does the end of the 2023 season do? Chris said people love a comeback story going back to biblical days. Did he get a raw deal? People haven’t seen him play bad football in Pittsburgh for a little while. Where does the love for Mason Rudolph come from? One caller, missing the point, wondered why the guys were ‘praising’ Duck Hodges in 2019. Pirates/Penguins reporter Jason Mackey from the PG joined the show. Jason confirmed that the Pirates did offer Josh Naylor a contract, but doesn’t think Naylor was close to leaving Seattle. Jason thinks they will spend some money this off-season, but players like Naylor and Kyle Schwarber are probably too rich. Jason questioned why a free agent worth $30M/year would come to Pittsburgh. Jason believes it’s ‘very possible’ that Konnor Griffin begins the 2026 season on the Pirates roster as their starting shortstop. Jason thinks the Pirates pa

Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo from the PG joined the show. Ray said it’s a ‘better than 50% chance’ that Aaron Rodgers plays on Sunday. The guys asked Ray if Rodgers would be pushing to play if they weren’t in Chicago this weekend. How much of a gap exists between Rodgers and Mason Rudolph right now? Ray said Rudolph has been ‘money’ since that rough patch he hit in his second season back in 2019. Ray thinks there is a realistic chance Rudolph is the Week 1 starter in 2026. Ray said the coaches are really confident in James Pierre after his last few games, so the leash on Darius Slay won’t be too long, assuming he gets the start. Is Jonnu Smith getting more snaps because he’s a favorite of Arthur Smith? Ray thinks Roman Wilson is slowly gaining the trust of Rodgers and the coaching staff. Ray wouldn’t be stunned if Kenneth Gainwell gets more touches than Jaylen Warren on Sunday. How does Ray think the Steelers stack up with the rest of the AFC right now? Ray has a feeling the Steelers win.

Steve Palazzolo from the 33rd Team joined the show. Steve said he would rate Aaron Rodgers a 5.5/10 right now and Mason Rudolph a 4.5/10 – answering the same question Poni asked Pomp in the 3 pm hour. Steve isn’t convinced Rodgers is playing better football than Ben Roethlisberger did in his last couple years. Steve described Rodgers as ‘a tick off’ in his last few games. How good has the Steelers offensive line been in protection of Rodgers? Steve isn’t sure why Darius Slay would go right back into the Steelers lineup. Does Steve think the Steelers should have regret trading George Pickens? The guys asked Steve how good Darnell Washington has been and what kind of potential he has at over 300 pounds. Steve picked the Steelers to beat the Bears, sighting how lucky Chicago has been.

PM Team Picks Week 12

KDKA TV’s Bob Pompeani joined the show. Did the Steelers make a mistake trading George Pickens? Bob said they are still chasing their WR2 spot. When is the last time Bob did a shot? Bob gives Aaron Rodgers a 6.5/10 right now, with Mason Rudolph right behind at 6/10. Is TJ Watt playing up to his contract so far? Bob is afraid about what Caleb Williams can bring to the table on Sunday, but expects a one-score game.

Pirates/Penguins reporter Jason Mackey from the PG joined the show. Jason confirmed that the Pirates did offer Josh Naylor a contract, but doesn’t think Naylor was close to leaving Seattle. Jason thinks they will spend some money this off-season, but players like Naylor and Kyle Schwarber are probably too rich. Jason questioned why a free agent worth $30M/year would come to Pittsburgh. Jason believes it’s ‘very possible’ that Konnor Griffin begins the 2026 season on the Pirates roster as their starting shortstop. Jason thinks the Pirates payroll will be right around $100M, but doubts it gets any higher than that. Jason thinks Eugenio Suarez could be the big move of the off-season, coming off a 49 HR season.

Poni had a question for everyone to start today’s show – where did the Mason Rudolph love come from? How much of the heavy lifting does the end of the 2023 season do? Chris said people love a comeback story going back to biblical days. Did he get a raw deal? People haven’t seen him play bad football in Pittsburgh for a little while.

PM Team FULL Show 11-19-25

Rodgers Rebuttals – What did Aaron Rodgers say to the media earlier today? Steelers insider Brian Batko from the PG joined the show. Brian feels like Aaron Rodgers will play on Sunday. What type of limitations will he have? Brian talked about the glow up for Mason Rudolph with the fans. If Darius Slay plays on Sunday, how much leeway will he get with James Pierre playing so well? Brian doesn’t know why people bring up the ‘football’ side of George Pickens because there was never a doubt of his ability. Brian thinks the Steelers lose in Chicago. Judge Donny – Will Penn State hire a coach better than James Franklin?

We have more of an answer on why the Steelers traded George Pickens. It wasn’t the front office being at its wits end with him – it was his teammates. Poni thought Joe brought up a good point earlier today, questioning why any of these guys have the grounds to decide who is/isn’t on the team since they haven’t won a damn thing? How much of a say did Aaron Rodgers have in this (who wasn’t on the roster when they made the trade)? ALL ACCESS w/ Aditi – Aditi doesn’t believe the George Pickens trade will go down as the ‘worst’ in Steelers history and sometimes a player just needs that change of scenery. Aditi referenced Baker Mayfield going through the same thing in Cleveland. Is it a smarter move for the Steelers to play Aaron Rodgers or Mason Rudolph on Sunday? She said Rodgers is the starter for a reason and an opponent like the Bears probably gets his juices flowing a little bit more. Donny Football Debrief – It’s a little early for mock drafts, but this one got us a little excited.

Aaron Rodgers talked to the media today and the guys think that is a telltale sign that he will play on Sunday. Usually, a QB won't talk to the reporters if he isn’t going to play a few days later. Poni posed the question – is Mason Rudolph the best backup QB in team history? He has more wins than Charlie Batch in backup duty. We looked back at some backup QBs in Steelers lore. Poni thinks Rudolph pulling Mike Tomlin and his team out of the ground in 2023 is something that could win him some tiebreakers. Does Tommy Maddox deserve any consideration? Former MLB pitcher Matt Clement joined the show. The guys asked Matt about the Pirates off-season rumors and if the team has any shot to make a mark. Matt went through some names the Pirates should truly pursue. He thinks, even though the staff is already strong, the Pirates should look into pitchers like Ranger Suarez if his market isn’t as strong as expected. Matt said the Pirates can’t wait too long with Paul Skenes on their roster and they need to show urgenc