with Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller

Judge Donny – Should the Steelers be interested in a coach that already has head coaching experience?

93.7 The Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Jeff gave his reaction to the Mike Tomlin news. He told the guys what it was like in the facility today. Jeff gave his thoughts on what Art Rooney said. Where do the Steelers go from here?

ALL ACCESS w/ Aditi – Aditi quickly reacted to the news of Mike Tomlin stepping down before the guys asked her about new candidates. Aditi said two of her favorites, of the names being requested so far, are Jesse Minter and Brian Flores – the latter having a past relationship with the Steelers. Aditi isn't sure what Anthony Weaver would be like as a head coach. Aditi said young coaches get the feeling when it will be their turn as a head coach, for the most part. Aditi gave us some other names to know going through this whole process.

We already have some names that have been requested for interviews with the Steelers just one day removed from Mike Tomlin stepping down after 19 seasons. Chris Shula, the grandson of Don Shula and DC of the Rams is the new favorite. The other two to receive interviews are Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase and Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver. We reflected on how the Tomlin hiring went down way back when. Beyond these 3 names, who else do you want the Steelers to bring in?

You can basically close the book on the Aaron Rodgers experience with the Steelers.

Art Rooney II spoke to the media today for the first time following the news of Mike Tomlin stepping down as Steelers head coach. How did this make the guys feel? They said other than the statement about nobody on the staff being a candidate, there were some comments that worried them. Poni's takeaway is that he can't trust Rooney to nail the hire the way his dad did 3 times.

Would Mike McCarthy be of interest? Who else will the Steelers interview? A look back at the final game of Mike Tomlin as Steelers head coach.

So, who is next? Are we ready to dive into the next wave and figure out who the next head coach will be? Questions continue to arise and a caller passionately defends Mike Tomlin. More calls and speculation on the Mike Tomlin news.

More disbelief over the Mike Tomlin news – announcing that he is stepping down as Steelers head coach after 19 years on the sideline. What does this mean for Aaron Rodgers, Cam Heyward and other vets? Poni called this one of the best days of his life – putting it in his personal Top 10. More reaction to the news that Mike Tomlin is stepping down as Steelers HC.

BREAKING: Mike Tomlin is ‘stepping down' as Steelers head coach after 19 seasons. A massive bombshell in the history of Pittsburgh sports. Following the blowout loss to the Texans last night, the Steelers playoff drought extended to 9 seasons. And it would be the final game for Tomlin.

Would Mike McCarthy be of interest? Who else will the Steelers interview?

BREAKING: Mike Tomlin has stepped down as Steelers head coach after 19 seasons. Full, live reaction from the guys that you won't want to miss.

Steelers film junkie Derrick Bell from Pittsburgh Sports Now joined the show.

KDKA TV's Richie Walsh joined the show.

Former Steelers Super Bowl champion Trai Essex joined the show. Trai says that Alex Highsmith is the player that the Steelers need to have a great game to have a chance against the Texans. He points out that Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell need to be the x-factors for the Steelers. The Texans defense is going up against a very young offensive line.

Who has to have a great game for the Steelers to win their first playoff game in almost 9 years? The guys said the Texans don't have a ton of ‘big' names, but they have a lot of really solid players. Poni shared a superstition he has picked up for Steelers games.

KDKA meteorologist Mary Ours joined the show. Mary gave us an idea of what the weather will be like tonight for Steelers-Texans. She said the temps will read in the mid 30's, but with 15-20 mph wind, it will feel like it's in the 20's. She doesn't think it will have a huge impact on the passing game, which is what you normally get with stiff wind. She explained the difference between wind speed and wind gust. The guys asked Mary about any superstitions she has going into a game. She forewarned us that snow is likely at the end of this week that could affect the east coast.

Westwood One NFL analyst Ross Tucker joined the show. Ross will be on the sidelines tonight for the NFL on Westwood One. Ross is also a native of PA, but from the eastern side, so his Eagles went down yesterday. Ross thinks the weather does play a factor and it benefits the Steelers because the Texans can only prepare so much for it. Ross said Aaron Rodgers is the more trustworthy QB in this game, mostly because of the weather. Ross believes if the Steelers reach 20 points, they will win the game – that could be the case for both teams. Ross is in disbelief that there are people in Pittsburgh upset over the fact that the Steelers got the playoffs with Mike Tomlin. Ross gives Demeco Ryans the edge for the in-game part of coaching in this matchup. Ross explained what Future Fans dot com is all about. Ross picked the Texans to win the game.

Houston morning show host Sean Pendergast joined the show. Sean said the Texans defense is the real deal, so don't fool yourself thinking it's an overrated unit. Sean expects the Texans to throw a little bit of confusion at Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers offense because they know how Rodgers can still win with his brain. Sean believes Derek Stingley could follow DK Metcalf around for the entire game. He mentioned the Texans adding some different blitz packages that we haven't seen yet this season. How will the field surface play a factor? Sean said there shouldn't be a concern with the Texans offense going off, but their keys are cliché – protect CJ Stroud and protect the football. He told us the Texans offensive line has been ‘average at-best' this season.

Monday Night Football in Pittsburgh for a Wild Card playoff matchup between the Steelers and Texans. A vibe check as the Steelers get their first home playoff game (in front of fans) for the first time since the 2017 season (January 2018). Are people feeling confident going into tonight? Are they too confident? The guys both paint a losing picture before getting to some calls.

The Steelers look for their first win playoff win in 8 years on Monday night. There's optimism Pittsburgh can actually win and that they have a chance.

PM Team - 5 PM Hour - 1/9/26

PM Team - 2 PM Hour - 1/9/26

Steelers Insider Nick Farabaugh joins the show. Nick thinks that it is fair that the Steelers are underdogs on Monday, even though they are playing the game at home. He also thinks that the Texans are the best defense the Steelers have played all year. Nick says that the Steelers should win if they score more than 17 points.

Cam Heyward is not worried about people counting the Steelers out. The Steelers' offense as a whole has a better EPA/play than the Texans offense does. Will they finally break through and win a playoff game for the first time in nine years?

Donny Football Debrief – It has been ten years since the Steelers chaotic wild card round win over the Bengals. Is that the wildest finish in wild card round history?

Mike Tomlin gave credit to Davis Mills for the Texans success in his press conference, for some reason. Former Steeler and Super Bowl champion Bryant McFadden joins the show. Bryant calls the killer B's Ben Roethlisberger “different”. He also says that the Texans play defense how his Steeler teams used to play. He says that he's not worried about this matchup because the Texans offense does not worry him.

The Penguins have now won 6 games in a row, and Evgeni Malkin showed his support of the Steelers after the game yesterday. Could the Penguins go on a run if they get into the playoffs?

We're 3 days out of the Steelers first real home playoff game in 9 years. Are you confident? Poni is not, at all. The Steelers have trailed by 21 in every single game during their playoff win drought. The Texans have more points and yards per game than the Steelers, is that concerning?

Is Arthur Smith on his way to another head coaching job? His name has been thrown around and reports say the Titans have requested to interview him. He promises that his sole focus is on the Steelers and Pittsburgh. Do you believe him? The guys painted the picture of Smith's track record, which tells us he is the exact definition of ‘average.' If Smith does get hired, would you trust Mike Tomlin to find a better OC? Steelers reporter Ray Fittipaldo from the PG joined the show. The guys asked Ray about Arthur Smith getting an interview request with the Titans and who the Steelers could look at if he gets a job? What could the future be for Teryl Austin, outside of a playoff run? Ray thinks the Texans are a beatable team even with an elite defense. Ray picked the Steelers to beat the Texans. Total Request Thursday.

Rodgers' Rebuttals – What did Aaron Rodgers say today to the Steelers media? Steve Palazzolo from the 33rd Team joined the show. Is Steve the tallest football analyst in America at 6'10? Steve thinks Aaron Rodgers gives the Steelers the slight edge at QB in the matchup Monday night. Steve explained how elite the Texans defense is. Steve said you have to stay out of 3rd and long against the Houston defense because the conversion chance is very little. How can the Texans score on the Steelers? How much do some of the playoff stats matter in this game? The guys had Steve pick and rank some players from this game. Steve is picking the Texans to win the game Donny Football Debrief – If ___ _____ was hired by the Ravens or Browns, would you be worried?

Where does Aaron Rodgers rank among AFC playoff QBs? Chris thinks there is going to be some recency bias after the late-game heroics. How many of the young studs of the NFL would we put ahead and behind Rodgers? KDKA TV's Bob Pompeani joined the show. Pomp is excited to see playoff football from Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh. Pomp thinks we have to appreciate the Texans defense and what they can do at every level. Is Mike Tomlin a little jealous of what Demeco Ryans gets to work with? Pomp isn't really buying in to the Tomlin to TV rumors we keep hearing. Bob is predicting a 19-9 Steelers win on Monday night. Power Rankings – The 14 playoff teams.

Mike Tomlin spent some time praising the Texans' defense earlier this week. Are we as a collective sleeping on what Houston can bring on that side of the ball? The guys think the Steelers can hang around in this game, but not due to the doubts of that defense, but of the offense. CJ Stroud is a good QB, but hasn't taken the step to ‘great' just yet. The last 3 QBs that have beaten the Steelers in the playoffs have all won the MVP award. Stroud isn't that player yet. Is Demeco Ryans the mirror image matchup against Mike Tomlin? Is it a little bit of what Tomlin wishes he had? Pirates reporter Jason Mackey from the PG joined the show. Jason reflected on the news of the PG, his main employer, ceasing to exist as of May 2026. Jason described yesterday as an ‘odd' day. Jason gave his quick thoughts on the Steelers-Texans matchup Monday night. Jason told us the Pirates were not close to signing Kazuma Okamoto, despite what many claimed on social media before or after the fact. He thinks Okamoto will be a pretty good MLB player. Is Eugenio Suarez still a realistic possibility at 3B? Jason doesn't see it if the contract approaches $20M/year.

Steelers reporter Ray Fittipaldo from the PG joined the show. The guys asked Ray about Arthur Smith getting an interview request with the Titans and who the Steelers could look at if he gets a job? What could the future be for Teryl Austin, outside of a playoff run? Ray thinks the Texans are a beatable team even with an elite defense. Ray picked the Steelers to beat the Texans.

Steve Palazzolo from the 33rd Team joined the show. Is Steve the tallest football analyst in America at 6'10? Steve thinks Aaron Rodgers gives the Steelers the slight edge at QB in the matchup Monday night. Steve explained how elite the Texans defense is. Steve said you have to stay out of 3rd and long against the Houston defense because the conversion chance is very little. How can the Texans score on the Steelers? How much do some of the playoff stats matter in this game? The guys had Steve pick and rank some players from this game. Steve is picking the Texans to win the game.

KDKA TV's Bob Pompeani joined the show. Pomp is excited to see playoff football from Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh. Pomp thinks we have to appreciate the Texans defense and what they can do at every level. Is Mike Tomlin a little jealous of what Demeco Ryans gets to work with? Pomp isn't really buying in to the Tomlin to TV rumors we keep hearing. Bob is predicting a 19-9 Steelers win on Monday night.

Where does Aaron Rodgers rank among AFC playoff QBs? Chris thinks there is going to be some recency bias after the late-game heroics. How many of the young studs of the NFL would we put ahead and behind Rodgers?