Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined the show. To start, Mike, the WV native, gave his final thoughts on the Backyard Brawl. He expects his Mountaineers to “get their asses kicked.” Mike isn’t shocked that there are projections of WVU to have a heavy fan presence tomorrow night. Mike isn’t high on the Steelers new offensive lineman, Jesse Davis and said he was available for a reason. He said a Mason Rudolph trade still isn’t out of the question based on what some other teams around the league have down with the quarterback position. Poni asked why the Steelers didn’t take the chance on Alex Leatherwood – Mike said the Steelers may have made a waiver claim, but that news isn’t out there right now, and the Bears claimed Leatherwood. Mike talked about cut blocks around the league and why a play that looks illegal and dirty is still OK around the league. At last, Mike gave a Backyard Brawl score prediction – Pitt 34, WVU 13.

The dust has settled on the Steelers 53-man roster. There were rumors that the Steelers had some interest in other offensive lineman that were cut candidates or on the trade block. They came away with Jesse Davis, via a trade with the Vikings. What does he have left in the tank? The Steelers also acquired edge rusher Malik Reed from the Broncos. There’s also a report out there that West Virginia fans have 75% of the tickets at the Backyard Brawl tomorrow night. Do the guys buy it? 

The guys help Donny figure out the dilemma he’s facing tomorrow getting down to the stadium after work.

Former Steeler Chad Brown joined the show. Chad said new edge rusher Malik Reed can be a steal for this team and he’s seen examples of where he’s been the best player on the Broncos defense in recent games. Chad said the reason for the trade is due to the logjam at edge rusher on the Broncos roster. Chad said Reed hasn’t had a ton of chances to show what he’s really made of, but if he’s anywhere close to a full-time player he can flirt with double digit sacks. He said the ceiling isn’t super high, but Reed will bring production against the pass and run. Chris asked Chad if the Steelers run into a similar situation with Reed that occurred with Melvin Ingram last year – Chad doesn’t foresee any problems in the locker room. Chad doubles as an expert on reptiles – he gave his insight on the loose python that escaped from its owner, during a walk, last week in Pittsburgh. 

Former Steeler Chad Brown joined the show. Chad said new edge rusher Malik Reed can be a steal for this team and he’s seen examples of where he’s been the best player on the Broncos defense in recent games. Chad said the reason for the trade is due to the logjam at edge rusher on the Broncos roster. Chad said Reed hasn’t had a ton of chances to show what he’s really made of, but if he’s anywhere close to a full-time player he can flirt with double digit sacks. He said the ceiling isn’t super high, but Reed will bring production against the pass and run. Chris asked Chad if the Steelers run into a similar situation with Reed that occurred with Melvin Ingram last year – Chad doesn’t foresee any problems in the locker room. Chad doubles as an expert on reptiles – he gave his insight on the loose python that escaped from its owner, during a walk, last week in Pittsburgh. 

Former NFL OL Mark Schlereth joined the show. Mark commented on the Steelers new addition – Jesse Davis. He said he’s valuable because he can play either guard or tackle spot. He said he’s more of a backup player, but he could be a spot starter. Mark had good things to say about Malik Reed and said he could get after the quarterback while describing him as a “really good player.” He said Reed is a depth guy that you never want to get rid of because he makes the most of his opportunities. He thinks the Steelers got a helluva football player with Reed. Mark said the team won’t run into the same issue as they did with Melvin Ingram last year because Reed has always been a player that knows his role so well. He said the Steelers should probably stay away from Alex Leatherwood for the time being. Poni asked Mark what kind of expectations the Steelers have going into the season. 

Crowley got his revenge on Poni.

The reviews are out for Steelers new offensive line addition, Jesse Davis. They aren’t good. But, could it still actually be an upgrade over what the Steelers have right now? Crowley said the Steelers should find their best five and go forward with the offensive line. Poni credited the Raiders for cutting Alex Leatherwood today and cutting their losses on a bad pick. He wishes the Steelers would do that with someone like Kendrick Green. The guys debated if they would rather have Davis or Leatherwood on the roster right now? Crowley went Davis and Poni went with Leatherwood. The other new addition today was Malik Reed – who Arthur Moats is very high on. 

93.7 The Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Jeff talked about the plethora of moves the Steelers made to get the roster down to 53. Jeff said new addition Jesse Davis could lead to some movement up front, resulting in Chuks Okorafor moving to left tackle and Davis at right tackle, leaving Dan Moore Jr. on the bench. Jeff thinks the move to release John Leglue doesn’t make sense with what they have on the line. Jeff commented on the release of Anthony McFarland. With the quarterbacks, Jeff is confident Kenny Pickett will be dressing on week one and on game days, it won’t be Mason Rudolph. How serious is the Alex Highsmith injury?  

Former Steeler Arthur Moats joined the show. Arthur likes a new Steelers addition – Malik Reed, the edge rusher the team traded for earlier today from Denver. Arthur talked about the similarities and differences between Reed and Alex Highsmith against the pass and run. Arthur said Reed can rush on both sides of the line. Arthur talked about what Jesse Davis can bring to this offensive line that is looking for a boost. Poni asked Arthur if Davis would be one of the Steelers best five offensive linemen. He said Pat Meyer and Mike Tomlin have their hands full, but Davis gives them a little bit of flexibility up front. Arthur was asked about signing a veteran RB so the Steelers don’t find themselves in a tough spot in case something happens to Najee Harris. 

Former Steeler Arthur Moats joined the show. Arthur likes a new Steelers addition – Malik Reed, the edge rusher the team traded for earlier today from Denver. Arthur talked about the similarities and differences between Reed and Alex Highsmith against the pass and run. Arthur said Reed can rush on both sides of the line. Arthur talked about what Jesse Davis can bring to this offensive line that is looking for a boost. Poni asked Arthur if Davis would be one of the Steelers best five offensive linemen. He said Pat Meyer and Mike Tomlin have their hands full, but Davis gives them a little bit of flexibility up front. Arthur was asked about signing a veteran RB so the Steelers don’t find themselves in a tough spot in case something happens to Najee Harris. 

93.7 The Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Jeff talked about the plethora of moves the Steelers made to get the roster down to 53. Jeff said new addition Jesse Davis could lead to some movement up front, resulting in Chuks Okorafor moving to left tackle and Davis at right tackle, leaving Dan Moore Jr. on the bench. Jeff thinks the move to release John Leglue doesn’t make sense with what they have on the line. Jeff commented on the release of Anthony McFarland. With the quarterbacks, Jeff is confident Kenny Pickett will be dressing on week one and on game days, it won’t be Mason Rudolph. How serious is the Alex Highsmith injury?  

BREAKING NEWS: The Steelers have cut Anthony McFarland and Justin Layne. Layne becomes another failed corner back drafted by the Steelers. 

There has been reported interest for Mason Rudolph. So why aren’t the Steelers pulling the trigger? Crowley has the fear that the team will need Rudolph down the road. Poni said screw that – trade Rudolph for a late-round pick and turn that into an offensive lineman and if the team has to use Rudolph this year, they aren’t going far anyway. Poni is angered by the Steelers resting on their laurels with available players now on the open market. 

Former Pitt Panther and current ESPN analyst, Louis Riddick joined the show. Poni asked Louis how Pitt stacks up against WVU Thursday night. He said they stack up well…against everybody. He talked about the QB matchup Thursday, which features Kedon Slovis and JT Daniels, who have had a rocky road to where they are now, but are both exciting signal callers. Louis has a lot of excitement for the Backyard Brawl because of how many storylines are there, besides the fact that it is one of the best rivalries in college football. He described the rivalry as “special” and said the atmosphere on Thursday night in Pittsburgh will be incredible. Louis talked about how much national coverage ESPN will provide for the game. Louis couldn’t speak highly enough of how great the Backyard Brawl is for the schools, teams and fans. Jumping to the Steelers – Louis talked about why Mitch Trubisky will be the team’s starter to begin the year over Kenny Pickett. He proceeded to say the QB isn’t the issue and the offensive line needs fixed. He expects Kenny to “reign hell” over the rest of the league when his time comes. Louis talked about the Steelers GM hiring process and what he went through vying for the job.

Former Pitt Panther and current ESPN analyst, Louis Riddick joined the show. Poni asked Louis how Pitt stacks up against WVU Thursday night. He said they stack up well…against everybody. He talked about the QB matchup Thursday, which features Kedon Slovis and JT Daniels, who have had a rocky road to where they are now, but are both exciting signal callers. Louis has a lot of excitement for the Backyard Brawl because of how many storylines are there, besides the fact that it is one of the best rivalries in college football. He described the rivalry as “special” and said the atmosphere on Thursday night in Pittsburgh will be incredible. Louis talked about how much national coverage ESPN will provide for the game. Louis couldn’t speak highly enough of how great the Backyard Brawl is for the schools, teams and fans. Jumping to the Steelers – Louis talked about why Mitch Trubisky will be the team’s starter to begin the year over Kenny Pickett. He proceeded to say the QB isn’t the issue and the offensive line needs fixed. He expects Kenny to “reign hell” over the rest of the league when his time comes. Louis talked about the Steelers GM hiring process and what he went through vying for the job.