Starkey & Mueller

PM Team FULL Show 1-29-26

There are conflicting reports surrounding Patrick Graham, who is expected to be the Steelers next defensive coordinator. Some reports say the deal is done, but others say that is not the case and he still has to interview with the team. Graham’s defenses don’t look good on the surface, but are they as bad as that? His defenses have performed better than the Steelers defense in recent years, which is the highest paid unit in the game. The Raiders have Maxx Crosby, but outside of that, there isn’t a ton of talent there and certainly not what the Steelers offer. Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo from the PG joined the show. Ray said his understanding is that the Steelers will hire Patrick Graham as their next DC. Ray talked about some of the overturn in the coaching staff and that we could see more coaches under Mike McCarthy. Ray wouldn’t be surprised at all if Aaron Rodgers is back as the Steelers QB and thinks it could even be for a raise. Ray expects us to largely see the same Rodgers that we saw last season

Bill Belichick being snubbed as a first ballot Hall of Famer has been one of the biggest stories in sports in the last 72 hours and we found out it has a Pittsburgh connection to it. Because of a weird flaw in the process, multiple members seemingly voted for LC Greenwood to make it in, or at least to keep his name on the ballot. It’s not an odd strategy because it’s something that we have seen from voters across sports when it comes to HOF voting. Caller told Mullsy he was a bum. A lady nearing the century mark called in on 2 different lines. Donny Football Debrief – Happy Anniversary to the Steelers 1974 draft.

Nick Farabaugh told Donny on Monday night that Mike McCarthy ‘likes’ Kyler Murray and his game. Would he be a real option as the Steelers next QB? Does his work ethic worry you? Does his ability worry you? The guys think there are some real questions with Murray’s game all-around. He has real talent, but could be a classic case of talent that lacks hard work. Is McCarthy the man to unlock it? Poni said he would be interested with this move if the Cardinals ate some of his money and it didn’t require a high draft pick. He also noted that we have seen QBs in the last few years that were drafted highly one place and finally flourished elsewhere, like Sam Darnold. Chris pointed out that Murray is oddly better outdoors than indoors. KDKA TV’s Bob Pompeani joined the show. The guys gave Pomp credit for picking the Penguins to make the playoffs before the season, which is looking quite good right now. Bob isn’t in favor of the Steelers trying for another retread at QB and hopes Will Howard gets the reigns in 2026.

A potential scoop from Donny to start today’s show after he got a text that Aaron Rodgers ‘will be back, period.’ Do fans want this? Will this do anything for the Steelers? It feels like another case of kicking the can down the road. Rodgers said Mike Tomlin was the only coach he wanted to play for, but the Steelers hired the only other coach that would fall under that category in the form of Mike McCarthy. Why is there a fear of this team looking to the future? The Steelers and Mike McCarthy are starting to fill out the staff, including James Campen, who coached over a decade with McCarthy in Green Bay and is also a favorite of Aaron Rodgers. How do fans feel? Pirates insider Jason Mackey from the PG joined the show. Where are things at with Andrew McCutchen and the Pirates? Jason thinks there is a spot for Cutch on the team, but in what role? Jason gets a strong feel that McCutchen wants to play in Pittsburgh even though some people are telling him Cutch has a market around the league. Jason said Paul S

Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo from the PG joined the show. Ray said his understanding is that the Steelers will hire Patrick Graham as their next DC. Ray talked about some of the overturn in the coaching staff and that we could see more coaches under Mike McCarthy. Ray wouldn’t be surprised at all if Aaron Rodgers is back as the Steelers QB and thinks it could even be for a raise. Ray expects us to largely see the same Rodgers that we saw last season. Will it look any different in the McCarthy offense? The guys asked Ray about the love for Will Howard and if there is a real chance the kid is the Steelers QB1 by the season opener? Ray expects us to know in 4-6 weeks if Rodgers will be back. Ray immediately jumped to Malik Willis when asked about an outside QB that could be here if Rodgers decides to retire or play elsewhere.

Bill Belichick being snubbed as a first ballot Hall of Famer has been one of the biggest stories in sports in the last 72 hours and we found out it has a Pittsburgh connection to it. Because of a weird flaw in the process, multiple members seemingly voted for LC Greenwood to make it in, or at least to keep his name on the ballot. It’s not an odd strategy because it’s something that we have seen from voters across sports when it comes to HOF voting.

KDKA TV’s Bob Pompeani joined the show. The guys gave Pomp credit for picking the Penguins to make the playoffs before the season, which is looking quite good right now. Bob isn’t in favor of the Steelers trying for another retread at QB and hopes Will Howard gets the reigns in 2026. Pomp doesn’t want to go down the Kyler Murray well, referencing the work ethic concern. Pomp thanked his parents for his lifelong hard work. Bob gave a shout to Robert Morris and Duquesne hoops for a little revival and dealing with the current format of college sports. Bob wondered how the Penguins are going to deal with the goaltender situation looming down the road. Bob let the guys know he is still on Tik Tok, but doesn’t like the editing process. He hopes that he has a sit-down with Mike McCarthy soon.

Nick Farabaugh told Donny on Monday night that Mike McCarthy ‘likes’ Kyler Murray and his game. Would he be a real option as the Steelers next QB? Does his work ethic worry you? Does his ability worry you? The guys think there are some real questions with Murray’s game all-around. He has real talent, but could be a classic case of talent that lacks hard work. Is McCarthy the man to unlock it? Poni said he would be interested with this move if the Cardinals ate some of his money and it didn’t require a high draft pick. He also noted that we have seen QBs in the last few years that were drafted highly one place and finally flourished elsewhere, like Sam Darnold. Chris pointed out that Murray is oddly better outdoors than indoors.

Nick Farabaugh told Donny on Monday night that Mike McCarthy ‘likes’ Kyler Murray and his game. Would he be a real option as the Steelers next QB? Does his work ethic worry you? Does his ability worry you? The guys think there are some real questions with Murray’s game all-around. He has real talent, but could be a classic case of talent that lacks hard work. Is McCarthy the man to unlock it? Poni said he would be interested with this move if the Cardinals ate some of his money and it didn’t require a high draft pick. He also noted that we have seen QBs in the last few years that were drafted highly one place and finally flourished elsewhere, like Sam Darnold. Chris pointed out that Murray is oddly better outdoors than indoors.

A potential scoop from Donny to start today’s show after he got a text that Aaron Rodgers ‘will be back, period.’ Do fans want this? Will this do anything for the Steelers? It feels like another case of kicking the can down the road. Rodgers said Mike Tomlin was the only coach he wanted to play for, but the Steelers hired the only other coach that would fall under that category in the form of Mike McCarthy. Why is there a fear of this team looking to the future?

PM Team FULL Show 1-28-26

The Steelers reportedly found Nate Scheelhaase ‘too inexperienced’ to be considered for a head coach job. But the guys did note that Gerry Dulac referred to Scheelhaase as the ‘hottest of commodities’ in the next year or two for teams looking for a head coach. Why didn’t the Steelers take a chance on him? 93.7 The Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Jeff told us Patrick Graham as DC is likely, but not official just yet. Jeff said Lunda Wells as OC has some smoke to it, but again, nothing official. Jeff told us the Steelers are ‘setting the table’ for an Aaron Rodgers return and if he wants to come back, it will happen. Jeff described Will Howard as the ‘in-house’ option and would rather them just run him out on the field next season and let the chips fall. Is Jonnu Smith on his way out the door? Jeff thinks this change sets up well for Pat Freiermuth. He would be surprised if Kenneth Gainwell isn’t viewed as a priority this offseason. Jeff reported to us that the Steelers front office told Ro

Mark Kaboly said ‘absolutely yes’ when asked on the midday show if Aaron Rodgers will be back in 2026 for a Steelers reunion with Mike McCarthy. Yuck. Why would that be a good idea? The guys are looking for good reasons, if there are any, for Rodgers to return next season. We discussed Kaboly’s admiration of the Steelers always being the same team. ALL ACCESS w/ Aditi – Aditi had a breakdown on Patrick Graham, who is expected to be hired as the Steelers next defensive coordinator. The guys asked Aditi about the hiring of Mike McCarthy and what the staff and team could look like next season. She thinks McCarthy’s main goal is to figure out the quarterback. Are the Steelers going to run it back with Aaron Rodgers? She was surprised by how high everyone was on Will Howard in the press conference. She thought it was a little odd that the entire staff got told to go home after Mike Tomlin stepped down before the decision was even made on a new coach. Aditi would have loved Jim Schwartz getting a call from the St

BREAKING NEWS: The Steelers and Mike McCarthy are close to hiring Patrick Graham as the team’s DC. The guys think it’s ‘uninspiring’ as McCarthy’s first big move. Graham seemingly did more with less with the Raiders in the last few years, so what will he do with the league’s highest-paid unit? The guys thought we’d see a former head coach become the DC. A caller mentioned Al Harris. How do others feel about Patrick Graham? Poni also doesn’t like that the Steelers are retaining multiple guys from last year’s staff and one makes him feel like Aaron Rodgers will be back. Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined the show. Mike said there was reason for Mike McCarthy speaking highly of Aaron Rodgers yesterday and it wasn’t just about wanting the QB back – it still, ultimately, comes down to Rodgers wanting to play. Mike said Rodgers coming back doesn’t make sense because he’s not close to the same player as he was when he worked with McCarthy. Mike expected the Steelers to get a coach that was wanted and soug

A big announcement from Mullsy to start today’s show that he is changing his Mike McCarthy grade from an F- to F+ after yesterday’s intro presser. Are fans ready to change their view on the big guy? The press conference just felt like a big welcome home party. Can McCarthy get the Steelers over the playoff hump? Some calls to see if Mike McCarthy and the Steelers are bathing themselves in glory after the hire. Former Penguin Tyler Kennedy joined the show. Tyler gave his take on Bryan Rust getting a 3-game suspension. He questioned how the NHL disciplinary crew got in their positions in the first place – pointing out that a few of them were goons when they played.

93.7 The Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Jeff told us Patrick Graham as DC is likely, but not official just yet. Jeff said Lunda Wells as OC has some smoke to it, but again, nothing official. Jeff told us the Steelers are ‘setting the table’ for an Aaron Rodgers return and if he wants to come back, it will happen. Jeff described Will Howard as the ‘in-house’ option and would rather them just run him out on the field next season and let the chips fall. Is Jonnu Smith on his way out the door? Jeff thinks this change sets up well for Pat Freiermuth. He would be surprised if Kenneth Gainwell isn’t viewed as a priority this offseason. Jeff reported to us that the Steelers front office told Rodgers they need to know ‘within a month’ if he will return. Jeff likes the foundation on the defense that the next coordinator will be able to play around with.

ALL ACCESS w/ Aditi – Aditi had a breakdown on Patrick Graham, who is expected to be hired as the Steelers next defensive coordinator. The guys asked Aditi about the hiring of Mike McCarthy and what the staff and team could look like next season. She thinks McCarthy’s main goal is to figure out the quarterback. Are the Steelers going to run it back with Aaron Rodgers? She was surprised by how high everyone was on Will Howard in the press conference. She thought it was a little odd that the entire staff got told to go home after Mike Tomlin stepped down before the decision was even made on a new coach. Aditi would have loved Jim Schwartz getting a call from the Steelers and thinks it’s an ‘insult’ to assume Schwartz, who is known to run a 4-3 defense, can’t adapt to a 3-4. Aditi predicted that Howard will be the Steelers QB in Week 1 next season.

Mark Kaboly said ‘absolutely yes’ when asked on the midday show if Aaron Rodgers will be back in 2026 for a Steelers reunion with Mike McCarthy. Yuck. Why would that be a good idea? The guys are looking for good reasons, if there are any, for Rodgers to return next season. We discussed Kaboly’s admiration of the Steelers always being the same team.

Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined the show. Mike said there was reason for Mike McCarthy speaking highly of Aaron Rodgers yesterday and it wasn’t just about wanting the QB back – it still, ultimately, comes down to Rodgers wanting to play. Mike said Rodgers coming back doesn’t make sense because he’s not close to the same player as he was when he worked with McCarthy. Mike expected the Steelers to get a coach that was wanted and sought after by multiple teams – they did the opposite with McCarthy, who only really had one option. Mike talked about the Steelers zigging in the coaching process when they are used to zagging and going with a young, up-and-coming assistant coach. Mike said the ‘QB whisperer’ stuff with McCarthy is very over-blown and often walked into situations that already had great QBs.