The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller

PM Team FULL Show 5-21-26

BREAKING: The Pirates have called up Esmerlyn Valdez following their series win in St. Louis. Valdez is coming off back-to-back 20+ HR seasons in the minors and already has 10 this season in Indy. We speculated that Billy Cook would be the player going down with the move. GIVEAWAY. Total Request Thursday.

The Pirates just won the rubber match of the Cardinals series by a score of 6-2. Mullsy thinks that these last two days have been their two biggest wins of the season. Ashcraft went 7 innings and only gave up one run, while striking out 9. PM Team Pirates fan reaction. More on the Pirates big series win over the Cardinals. Callers chime in to share their thoughts on these games as well. Manager's Minute – What did Don Kelly say to the media after today's game? More callers share their thoughts on today's game as well.

Steve Palazzolo from the 33rd Team joined the show. Steve thinks that the Steelers are slightly improved from last year, citing the receivers as a big reason for that. He also says that Rodgers will look to take more shots down field this year. Steve says that it is important to have linemen that can play multiple positions, as teams will almost certainly face injuries on the line throughout the season. KDKA TV's Bob Pompeani joined the show. Pomp thinks that Troy Fautanu will be the starting LT at the beginning of the season. He also says that the linebackers are going to have to show improvement and the defense is going to have to start playing like the highest paid defense in the league if the Steelers want to be any good this year. Pomp thinks that Victor Wembanyama will be the greatest basketball player of all time if he stays healthy throughout his career. Donny Football Debrief – The Steelers released their training camp schedule for 2026.

Chris reacted to a take from the morning show stating the Steelers have the best overall roster in the AFC North, evening indicating that others in the division don't want to see Aaron Rodgers quarterbacking this team. The Steelers got luck with injuries last season – Joe Burrow missed half of the year and Lamar Jackson was dinged up for the duration. The Steelers roster, outside of QB, may be the best in the North, but that position carries weight like a final exam. Are fans excited about another round of the Steelers with Aaron Rodgers? Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo from the PG joined the show. Ray has a hard time saying the Steelers have the best roster in the division because he thinks that is owned by the Ravens. He thinks Baltimore has underachieved and had to deal with Lamar Jackson injuries. Are the Bengals better than the Steelers with a healthy Joe Burrow? Ray described Aaron Rodgers as ‘good' last year, but how confident can we be in him being better in 2026? Ray explained why he likes Rodgers instead of Malik Willis or Kyler Murray. Was the Mike McCarthy hire a way to lure Rodgers back? Ray is 95% sure Troy Fautanu is going to be the Steelers starting left tackle – calling him the best offensive lineman on the team and sharing that he isn't sold on when we see Broderick Jones. Is Dylan Cook going to hold off Max Iheanachor at right tackle? There's been a lot of praise for Patrick Graham so far.

Manager's Minute – What did Don Kelly say to the media after today's game? More callers share their thoughts on today's game as well.

The Pirates just won the rubber match of the Cardinals series by a score of 6-2. Mullsy thinks that these last two days have been their two biggest wins of the season. Ashcraft went 7 innings and only gave up one run, while striking out 9.

Donny Football Debrief – The Steelers released their training camp schedule for 2026.

Steve Palazzolo from the 33rd Team joined the show. Steve thinks that the Steelers are slightly improved from last year, citing the receivers as a big reason for that. He also says that Rodgers will look to take more shots down field this year. Steve says that it is important to have linemen that can play multiple positions, as teams will almost certainly face injuries on the line throughout the season.

Chris reacted to a take from the morning show stating the Steelers have the best overall roster in the AFC North, evening indicating that others in the division don't want to see Aaron Rodgers quarterbacking this team. The Steelers got luck with injuries last season – Joe Burrow missed half of the year and Lamar Jackson was dinged up for the duration. The Steelers roster, outside of QB, may be the best in the North, but that position carries weight like a final exam.

PM Team FULL Show 5-20-26

McCarthy's Morsels – What did Mike McCarthy say to the media today? 93.7 The Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Jeff to talk to Aaron Rodgers with other reporters today and is glad they got him today or else it would have waited until next week. Does it mean anything that Rodgers declared this his final season? Jeff wants to believe Rodgers can work with Mike McCarthy again and leave it on a positive note. Jeff said McCarthy runs a very rigid practice structure so far. Is there anything to make of the offensive line moving around in OTAs? Jeff expects Troy Fautanu to start at left tackle after playing on the right side his first 2 seasons. Will Mason McCormick and Spencer Anderson be the starting guards? Jeff gets the early feeling that Mason Rudolph will be the odd man out in the Steelers QB room. Judge Jack – Who is more to blame for Pirates bullpen woes, Ben Cherington or Don Kelly?

Rodgers Replies – What else did Aaron Rodgers say to the media today? Rodgers copped an attitude with reporters when asked about what he was doing in his free time this offseason. He also told reporters to temper their expectations this time of year. Mullsy thinks that the Steelers need both Max Iheanachor and Germie Bernard to be impact players if they want to be good this year. ALL ACCESS w/ Aditi – Aditi thinks that Aaron Rodgers will empty the tank this season, as it will be his last. She also thinks that the Steelers are hoping to get a better version of Rodgers than they got last year. Aditi thinks that Germie Bernard and Michael Pittman will help Rodgers a ton this year. She thinks that there is a chance that Mason Rudolph is the odd man out in the QB room and ends up not making the final roster heading into the season. Donny Football Debrief – Roger Goodell and the NFL want to continue to add international games to the regular season schedule. Is it getting out of hand at this point? Donny has a proposal to fix the international game dilemma.

Aaron Rodgers told reporters today ‘this is it' and that 2026 will be his final season in the NFL. 22 years total and 2 in Pittsburgh as the future Hall of Famer gets set for one more go-round. Does it make you feeling better about this upcoming season? Rodgers has no choice but to lay it all out there. We saw Rodgers step up in some big moments last season. Not all of them, but some where he was the difference. Rodgers also answered how hard the decision was to come back after Mike Tomlin announced his resignation. What can we expect from his final season? Did throwing a pick six as his final pass play any factor in Rodgers coming back? Does the Aaron Rodgers news change anything? Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined the show. Mike reacted to the news that Aaron Rodgers plans to retire after the 2026 season. Mike felt like that was the story last season too. Mike acknowledged that there are better weapons and better options in the Steelers offense. How long does the rekindled relationship between Mike McCarthy and Rodgers last after the rocky finish in Green Bay? Mike thinks the pick six against the Texans in the playoff game probably gnawed at Rodgers as someone that holds the best TD-INT ratio in NFL history. Mike thinks this is the best news for the Steelers. Is Rodgers going to empty his tank in 2026? The NFL announced we could see up to 10 international games as early as next season and teams can no longer protect any of their home games. That means we could see Steelers-Ravens in another country one day. Mike basically said we will just have to deal with what the NFL does internationally and why TV revenue is the ultimate factor. What is the status of the current NFL-TV deals with the influx of streaming services?

Another loss for the Pirates last night sends them to 4 consecutive L's. Was it another controversial move by Don Kelly to take out Mitch Keller for Evan Sisk, which immediately led to the Cardinals taking the lead. Chris defended Kelly because the long history of baseball would tell you to take Keller out when he did – not just the new wave of analytics. Sisk has been great and Keller didn't have a great history against Nolan Gorman. Kelly hasn't always pushed the right buttons, but the bullpen occasionally has to do its job. 6 runs in 9 innings should be enough. Spencer Horwitz had a clutch hit to get them to extras. Marcell Ozuna had a very slow double-play groundout. How much of this do fans put on Don Kelly? A caller had us recollecting a legendary pro wrestling promo.

93.7 The Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Jeff to talk to Aaron Rodgers with other reporters today and is glad they got him today or else it would have waited until next week. Does it mean anything that Rodgers declared this his final season? Jeff wants to believe Rodgers can work with Mike McCarthy again and leave it on a positive note. Jeff said McCarthy runs a very rigid practice structure so far. Is there anything to make of the offensive line moving around in OTAs? Jeff expects Troy Fautanu to start at left tackle after playing on the right side his first 2 seasons. Will Mason McCormick and Spencer Anderson be the starting guards? Jeff gets the early feeling that Mason Rudolph will be the odd man out in the Steelers QB room.

Donny Football Debrief – Roger Goodell and the NFL want to continue to add international games to the regular season schedule. Is it getting out of hand at this point? Donny has a proposal to fix the international game dilemma.

ALL ACCESS w/ Aditi – Aditi thinks that Aaron Rodgers will empty the tank this season, as it will be his last. She also thinks that the Steelers are hoping to get a better version of Rodgers than they got last year. Aditi thinks that Germie Bernard and Michael Pittman will help Rodgers a ton this year. She thinks that there is a chance that Mason Rudolph is the odd man out in the QB room and ends up not making the final roster heading into the season.

Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined the show. Mike reacted to the news that Aaron Rodgers plans to retire after the 2026 season. Mike felt like that was the story last season too. Mike acknowledged that there are better weapons and better options in the Steelers offense. How long does the rekindled relationship between Mike McCarthy and Rodgers last after the rocky finish in Green Bay? Mike thinks the pick six against the Texans in the playoff game probably gnawed at Rodgers as someone that holds the best TD-INT ratio in NFL history. Mike thinks this is the best news for the Steelers. Is Rodgers going to empty his tank in 2026? The NFL announced we could see up to 10 international games as early as next season and teams can no longer protect any of their home games. That means we could see Steelers-Ravens in another country one day. Mike basically said we will just have to deal with what the NFL does internationally and why TV revenue is the ultimate factor. What is the status of the current NFL-TV deals with the influx of streaming services?

Aaron Rodgers told reporters today ‘this is it' and that 2026 will be his final season in the NFL. 22 years total and 2 in Pittsburgh as the future Hall of Famer gets set for one more go-round. Does it make you feeling better about this upcoming season? Rodgers has no choice but to lay it all out there. We saw Rodgers step up in some big moments last season. Not all of them, but some where he was the difference. Rodgers also answered how hard the decision was to come back after Mike Tomlin announced his resignation. What can we expect from his final season? Did throwing a pick six as his final pass play any factor in Rodgers coming back?

Another loss for the Pirates last night sends them to 4 consecutive L's. Was it another controversial move by Don Kelly to take out Mitch Keller for Evan Sisk, which immediately led to the Cardinals taking the lead. Chris defended Kelly because the long history of baseball would tell you to take Keller out when he did – not just the new wave of analytics. Sisk has been great and Keller didn't have a great history against Nolan Gorman. Kelly hasn't always pushed the right buttons, but the bullpen occasionally has to do its job.

PM Team FULL Show 5-19-26

The Pirates have called up Jhostynxon Garcia ahead of their series against the Cardinals. Garcia had a monster game in his return to Triple A and with the injury to Ryan O'Hearn, the Buccos have promoted their #4 overall prospect. How often should the Pirates trot him out there? He will hit 6th tonight and play in RF. What does the lineup look like with Garcia in it? Chris is not happy about Jared Triolo still being in the lineup. Would you rather see Billy Cook at 1B? It would be quite the time for Marcell Ozuna to step up. Does anyone think the Pirates are going to end their skid tonight? Name Game.

Aaron Rodgers still hasn't spoken to the media, despite signing on Saturday. Mullsy thinks that Aaron Rodgers will play to a level closer to Jacoby Brissett than to MVP Rodgers. He also thinks that the media covers Aaron Rodgers the way that they do simply because he is Aaron Rodgers and he has won 4 MVPs. Callers participate in trivia for a giveaway. Donny Football Debrief – Rashee Rice now has to spend 30 days in jail after violating probation and testing positive for marijuana.

New Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham spoke to the media for the first time today. Can the Steelers' defense take the next step this year and actually preform like the highest paid unit in football? Mullsy thinks Patrick Graham's defense in Las Vegas last year was unfairly evaluated due to how bad their offense was. The Steelers were 17th in scoring defense last year despite being the most expensive unit in the entire league. Mullsy also thinks that Graham did not have very much to work with regarding his defense in Las Vegas in years prior. The Steelers were probably too reliant on turnovers in years prior. More on Patrick Graham and the Steelers defense. Graham mentioned today in his presser how much he values communication on defense. Mullsy is happy to hear this because the defensive communication under Tomlin/Austin was not good. Calls. Playoff Minute – We had to classic playoff games last night, with both Thunder Spurs game 1 and Canadiens Sabres game 7.

New Steelers OC Brian Angelichio spoke to the media earlier today, and even though he will be a figurehead in his position with Mike McCarthy truly running the offense, is there reason to feel more optimistic about the Steelers offense in 2026? We are outside of the shell we've known for 2 decades that could allow the offense to open up a bit more than we have seen in the last few years. Is there reason for optimism? Will Aaron Rodgers trust the system? Is there reason to believe the Steelers offense will be a lot better in 2026? PM Team Sports Court w/ our friends from Edgar Snyder & Associates. Were action movies better in the 80s and 90s? Was the series against the Phillies just a ‘bump in the road' for the Pirates? How bad is the Buccos bullpen? Do the guys think Carmen Mlodzinski should go to the ‘pen when Jared Jones is back? How much different will the Steelers offense look? Do Donny and Chris deserve to be mad about Poni not sharing his betting nugget before winning big on the PGA Championship?

The Pirates have called up Jhostynxon Garcia ahead of their series against the Cardinals. Garcia had a monster game in his return to Triple A and with the injury to Ryan O'Hearn, the Buccos have promoted their #4 overall prospect. How often should the Pirates trot him out there? He will hit 6th tonight and play in RF. What does the lineup look like with Garcia in it? Chris is not happy about Jared Triolo still being in the lineup. Would you rather see Billy Cook at 1B? It would be quite the time for Marcell Ozuna to step up.

Donny Football Debrief – Rashee Rice now has to spend 30 days in jail after violating probation and testing positive for marijuana.

Aaron Rodgers still hasn't spoken to the media, despite signing on Saturday. Mullsy thinks that Aaron Rodgers will play to a level closer to Jacoby Brissett than to MVP Rodgers. He also thinks that the media covers Aaron Rodgers the way that they do simply because he is Aaron Rodgers and he has won 4 MVPs.

Playoff Minute – We had to classic playoff games last night, with both Thunder Spurs game 1 and Canadiens Sabres game 7.

New Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham spoke to the media for the first time today. Can the Steelers' defense take the next step this year and actually preform like the highest paid unit in football? Mullsy thinks Patrick Graham's defense in Las Vegas last year was unfairly evaluated due to how bad their offense was. The Steelers were 17th in scoring defense last year despite being the most expensive unit in the entire league. Mullsy also thinks that Graham did not have very much to work with regarding his defense in Las Vegas in years prior. The Steelers were probably too reliant on turnovers in years prior.

PM Team Sports Court w/ our friends from Edgar Snyder & Associates. Were action movies better in the 80s and 90s? Was the series against the Phillies just a ‘bump in the road' for the Pirates? How bad is the Buccos bullpen? Do the guys think Carmen Mlodzinski should go to the ‘pen when Jared Jones is back? How much different will the Steelers offense look? Do Donny and Chris deserve to be mad about Poni not sharing his betting nugget before winning big on the PGA Championship?

New Steelers OC Brian Angelichio spoke to the media earlier today, and even though he will be a figurehead in his position with Mike McCarthy truly running the offense, is there reason to feel more optimistic about the Steelers offense in 2026? We are outside of the shell we've known for 2 decades that could allow the offense to open up a bit more than we have seen in the last few years. Is there reason for optimism? Will Aaron Rodgers trust the system?

PM Team FULL Show 5-18-26

The Steelers started OTAs today and it was highlighted by the Aaron Rodgers return that we learned about on Saturday night. What does that mean for the young QBs on the roster like Will Howard and Drew Allar? The Rodgers return limits their time in the spotlight, but how much does it limit their time with Mike McCarthy? It's hard to be excited about one, or both, of the young guys if you are also excited about Rodgers. The Steelers seem to know they need to take their chances on QB, but they keep blocking that by courting Rodgers back-to-back years. Chris said he is confused trying to figure out what the Steelers are actually doing. They think they can win and win big. Chris does not think this is a well-executed plan waiting to happen because it is very hard to live in both worlds. How are fans feeling about the Aaron Rodgers return? What do the betting lines look like for all of the Steelers matchups? Michael Pittman Jr. talked after the first day of Steelers OTAs.

Today was the first day of OTAs for the Steelers. Yes, Aaron Rodgers was there after signing this weekend, but something else of note – the Steelers jumbling of the offensive line. Troy Fautanu, coming off a great season at right tackle, lined up on the left side today. They also had a few other names moving about the front. What do the Steelers ideally want the offensive line to look like? Fautanu's Phrases – What did Troy Fautanu say to the media earlier today? Donny Football Debrief – Nashville could play host to Super Bowl 64 in 2030 and Minneapolis will host the NFL Draft in 2028. Do you feel differently about Pittsburgh hosting major NFL events after the draft success?

A disastrous weekend at PNC Park as the Pirates were swept by the Phillies. The Phils have turned their season completely around under Don Mattingly. Their stars showed up this weekend, with Bryce Harper and a couple of aces, making huge impacts. Is this the beginning of the end for the Buccos or is it just a bad stretch? The Pirates offense showed nothing in the games on Saturday and Sunday, but the game on Friday may sting for a while. The Pirates are 5 games back in the NL Central after this weekend. And Ryan O'Hearn is out for at least a month. It felt like a litmus test for the Pirates and they failed. What are they going to do with this bullpen? Former MLB pitcher Matt Clement joined the show. Matt reacted to the Pirates being swept by the Phillies at PNC Park over the weekend. Can the Pirates get out of this slump quickly? Matt talked about the pair of Philly starters that shut down the Buccos on Saturday and Sunday. Is Jhostynxon Garcia going to be the player called up to fill the injury void left by Ryan O'Hearn? Are the Pirates screwed or did they just run into a great team?

It was the breaking news of Saturday night – Aaron Rodgers is back. He was spotted at a local ice cream shop on Friday night and less than 24 hours later, Rodgers to the Steelers was happening. The second time around for Rodgers, this time under Mike McCarthy and not Mike Tomlin. The big issue was what Rodgers lacked against playoff teams in 2025, which is something that has followed him for the last few seasons. Something that we thought was a 1-year run is happening for a second time, even after Art Rooney himself assumed Rodgers was gone following the resignation of Tomlin after the Wild Card loss to Houston. Chris doesn't like the move because it's a feeling of them spinning their tires and they aren't going forward. Today was the first day of OTAs. What does this mean for the young QBs on the roster? Are fans happy about the Aaron Rodgers return? Are the Steelers automatically better than last year? Golf Minute – Aaron Rai is the winner of the 2026 PGA Championship. How big of a long-shot was he? Did Poni betray us this weekend by withholding some key betting information?

The Steelers started OTAs today and it was highlighted by the Aaron Rodgers return that we learned about on Saturday night. What does that mean for the young QBs on the roster like Will Howard and Drew Allar? The Rodgers return limits their time in the spotlight, but how much does it limit their time with Mike McCarthy? It's hard to be excited about one, or both, of the young guys if you are also excited about Rodgers. The Steelers seem to know they need to take their chances on QB, but they keep blocking that by courting Rodgers back-to-back years. Chris said he is confused trying to figure out what the Steelers are actually doing. They think they can win and win big. Chris does not think this is a well-executed plan waiting to happen because it is very hard to live in both worlds.

Today was the first day of OTAs for the Steelers. Yes, Aaron Rodgers was there after signing this weekend, but something else of note – the Steelers jumbling of the offensive line. Troy Fautanu, coming off a great season at right tackle, lined up on the left side today. They also had a few other names moving about the front. What do the Steelers ideally want the offensive line to look like?

Former MLB pitcher Matt Clement joined the show. Matt reacted to the Pirates being swept by the Phillies at PNC Park over the weekend. Can the Pirates get out of this slump quickly? Matt talked about the pair of Philly starters that shut down the Buccos on Saturday and Sunday. Is Jhostynxon Garcia going to be the player called up to fill the injury void left by Ryan O'Hearn?

A disastrous weekend at PNC Park as the Pirates were swept by the Phillies. The Phils have turned their season completely around under Don Mattingly. Their stars showed up this weekend, with Bryce Harper and a couple of aces, making huge impacts. Is this the beginning of the end for the Buccos or is it just a bad stretch? The Pirates offense showed nothing in the games on Saturday and Sunday, but the game on Friday may sting for a while. The Pirates are 5 games back in the NL Central after this weekend. And Ryan O'Hearn is out for at least a month. It felt like a litmus test for the Pirates and they failed. What are they going to do with this bullpen?