Starkey & Mueller

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?

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 attention-to-detail things McCarthy falls short in. Mike thinks Brian Flores would return to Minnesota if he doesn’t get a head coaching job. Mike talked about the projection there is when hiring someone like Nate Scheelhaase, who has never been a coordinator before, let alone head coach. Mike still believes Chris Shula makes the most sense for the Steelers. Mike said the Steelers are only competing with the Ravens and the Bills, and those teams could be going in opposite directions a

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?

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.

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.

PM Team FULL Show 1-20-26

Wait a minute… Art Rooney II scheduled a vacation during divisional round weekend? What is the latest on the Steelers interview schedule? Poni isn’t very excited over the list of guys that have gotten second interviews. Is it time to worry about what the current list looks like? Where does the Steelers’ job rank as of right now? John Harbaugh had his opening press conference in New York as he takes over the Giants. Should the top targets still be Chris Shula and Nate Scheelhaase?

The biggest Mike Tomlin fan in the media thinks MT is ‘done’ with coaching. Jay Glazer, after doing his best to defend Tomlin, told FS1 that Tomlin is done with coaching, at least for now. The belief when Bill Cowher resigned is that he would take a year off then return to coaching, but that time never came. Chris thinks we have seen Tomlin coach his final game in the NFL. Vikings reporter Matthew Coller from Purple Insider joined the show. Matthew told the guys what the offensive plan could be for Brian Flores if he does get the Steelers HC job. He said there is still no doubt about his defensive mind or intensity, but can he develop a QB? Matthew said Charlie Frye or Josh McCown could be a few names to consider to run the offense. Matthew said any defensive player on the Vikings roster would credit Flores for the steps they have taken in their careers. He did mention that players under the age of 25 still have occasional complaints or act intimidated, but Matthew mentioned a few youngers guy that openly s

The Steelers are interviewing Brian Flores in-person today as he continues to emerge as one of the lead candidates to be the next head coach. Is he a better option than Mike McCarthy? After getting a lifeline from Mike Tomlin a few years back, Flores seemingly reinvented himself a little bit in Minnesota the last 2 seasons. The red flags from his time as HC in Miami have some people spooked, but could his defensive mind reinvigorate the Steelers most-expensive unit in football? The guys also dove into the Bill Belichick coaching tree and the number of guys that failed as head coaches. If the Steelers bring Mike McCarthy back, will he live at his parent’s house? More fans are showing they would be in favor of McCarthy as Steelers HC. College Football Minute – Indiana capped an all-time season with a 27-21 win over Miami in the National Championship game. Is Curt Cignetti the best coach from Pittsburgh? Not only do the guys think it’s good for college football – they think it’s great. Poni tried to get Cign

Is Mike McCarthy a legit candidate to be the Steelers next head coach? There appears to be more validity to that possibility than we recently thought. He’s from Pittsburgh, he has a past relationship with Omar Khan and Andy Weidl. But is he going to bring more of the same thing? He feels like the offensive version of Mike Tomlin. If Art Rooney doesn’t want to take a step back, will he roll with someone already established like McCarthy? Does a Mike McCarthy hire mean Aaron Rodgers would be back next season? Sports Court w/ our friends from Edgar Snyder & Associates – With Brian Flores interviewing with the Steelers, the guys asked about the possibility of him being a head coach again after filing suit against the NFL. Is there an ageism problem in the NFL and could it be relevant with Mike McCarthy being a strong candidate for the job? Rob and Nick got a little bit into the NFL constitution. Will Flores get a job in this cycle?

Wait a minute… Art Rooney II scheduled a vacation during divisional round weekend? What is the latest on the Steelers interview schedule? Poni isn’t very excited over the list of guys that have gotten second interviews. Is it time to worry about what the current list looks like? Where does the Steelers’ job rank as of right now?

Vikings reporter Matthew Coller from Purple Insider joined the show. Matthew told the guys what the offensive plan could be for Brian Flores if he does get the Steelers HC job. He said there is still no doubt about his defensive mind or intensity, but can he develop a QB? Matthew said Charlie Frye or Josh McCown could be a few names to consider to run the offense. Matthew said any defensive player on the Vikings roster would credit Flores for the steps they have taken in their careers. He did mention that players under the age of 25 still have occasional complaints or act intimidated, but Matthew mentioned a few youngers guy that openly say Flores made them what they are. Matthew thinks Flores knows the importance of a great QB or great QB play, citing Tom Brady and Sam Darnold. Matthew said the defensive mind of Flores is impeccable and as up-to-date as any coach in the league.

The biggest Mike Tomlin fan in the media thinks MT is ‘done’ with coaching. Jay Glazer, after doing his best to defend Tomlin, told FS1 that Tomlin is done with coaching, at least for now. The belief when Bill Cowher resigned is that he would take a year off then return to coaching, but that time never came. Chris thinks we have seen Tomlin coach his final game in the NFL.

College Football Minute – Indiana capped an all-time season with a 27-21 win over Miami in the National Championship game. Is Curt Cignetti the best coach from Pittsburgh? Not only do the guys think it’s good for college football – they think it’s great. Poni tried to get Cignetti for an interview. Do you think the SID replied?

The Steelers are interviewing Brian Flores in-person today as he continues to emerge as one of the lead candidates to be the next head coach. Is he a better option than Mike McCarthy? After getting a lifeline from Mike Tomlin a few years back, Flores seemingly reinvented himself a little bit in Minnesota the last 2 seasons. The red flags from his time as HC in Miami have some people spooked, but could his defensive mind reinvigorate the Steelers most-expensive unit in football? The guys also dove into the Bill Belichick coaching tree and the number of guys that failed as head coaches.

Sports Court w/ our friends from Edgar Snyder & Associates – With Brian Flores interviewing with the Steelers, the guys asked about the possibility of him being a head coach again after filing suit against the NFL. Is there an ageism problem in the NFL and could it be relevant with Mike McCarthy being a strong candidate for the job? Rob and Nick got a little bit into the NFL constitution. Will Flores get a job in this cycle?

Is Mike McCarthy a legit candidate to be the Steelers next head coach? There appears to be more validity to that possibility than we recently thought. He’s from Pittsburgh, he has a past relationship with Omar Khan and Andy Weidl. But is he going to bring more of the same thing? He feels like the offensive version of Mike Tomlin. If Art Rooney doesn’t want to take a step back, will he roll with someone already established like McCarthy?

1-19 PM Team Full Show

The NFL Draft in Pittsburgh is less than 100 days away. Ryan Wilson joins the show to talk about it. The QB class that was supposed to be elite completely fell off, leaving arguably only one first-round talent in Fernando Mendoza. Breaking News: The Miami Dolphins hired Jeff Hafley as their new head coach. Ryan has the Steelers taking Denzel Boston, a WR from Washington, in the first round. NFL Analyst Derrick Bell joins the show. Derrick says that he would not have really wanted Jeff Hafley as the Steelers HC. He also says that Chris Shula makes a lot of sense for the HC opening.