(Hour 2 with Poni and Mueller) 

What is going to happen with the free agent quarterback market? Mason Rudolph is out there and the Steelers want to keep him, but what if he leaves in free agency? Poni says that if you are a fan of Kenny Pickett, you should not be happy if Mason Rudolph comes back. You “want a mentor and not competition”. Paul Skenes joined us after his debut. He says it is tough knowing you are only going out for one inning. He only threw nine pitches and the first one was an off-speed pitch. He says he is “super comfortable” throwing to Henry Davis and has done most of his bullpen sessions with him. He says he does not have any thoughts on innings limit, just wants to make all of his starts.  

Bob Pompeani joins the show from the road. Bob thinks that the Pirates should use him sooner rather than later. But he also understands we might not see him until June. Bob gives his reaction to Bill Hillgrove announcing his retirement. He compares him to Vin Scully on how he keeps on going and how approachable he is. Bob also says extending the fifth year option on Najee Harris is a ‘no brainer’.

Jeremy Fowler hops on from the NFL Combine to talk about draft scuttlebutt. He says that not a lot of people are buying the “Fields to Atlanta” rumors. He says there is a holdup in the market and the holdup is the Chicago Bears. He says there is not a lot of buzz around the Steelers and they are “sort of lurking”. He suggests guys like Jacoby Brissett is an option for a veteran backup. He places Rudolph as the fourth or fifth slot in available free agent quarterbacks.

Are there any Steelers talk at the combine? Where does Mason Rudolph rank among free agent quarterbacks?

The Pirates 2023 number 1 overall draft pick talks to Poni and Mueller shortly after his debut

(Hour 1 with Poni and Mueller)

Donny Football is in Florida rubbing it in by sending the guys pictures of himself on the beach. Poni tells us about his ‘incident’ yesterday. Paul Skenes made his Spring Training debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates and had a perfect inning. What should the Pirates do with Skenes, start the season in the minors or start with the big club? If he starts at the big leagues will there be an innings limit? Poni says if he logs innings he would rather have Skenes log them at the MLB level. Will service time be an issue?

 Should teams be hyper cautious about young arms like Paul Skenes? Henry Davis hit a home run in Spring Training today. Who will be the second catcher for the Pirates? Yasmani Grandal is the starter

 Bill Hillgrove announced his retirement from the Steelers radio booth. The guys reminisce about some of his greatest calls including the Pitt upset of Clemson.

What will happen with Henry Davis along with Paul Skenes? Yasmani Grandal is slated to be the starting catcher, so where will Davis start the season?

What do you make of the Skenes perfect debut against the Baltimore Orioles? Did it hurt or help his cause to start the season with the big club?

(Hour 4 with Poni and Mueller)

93.7 The Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Jeff joined in on the day’s topic about the Steelers getting a bad grade across the board, besides Mike Tomlin. What are the problems with Steelers ownership and their facilities?

We get Jeff’s reaction on Mike Florio’s comments about George Pickens and the Steelers’ quarterback situation.

Joe Starkey has a spider scare early this morning.

Hodgepodge of Nothingness.

Chris Mueller and Jeff Hathhorn react to Joe Starkey's 'spider scare' from earlier today and other stories about Starkey and his fear of spiders.

Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn gives his reaction to the executive opinion on George Pickens and the Steelers QB room plans.

Hour 3: We reacted to a few of the bombshells Mike Florio left us with – the idea that the Steelers will likely just forge ahead at QB and not make a splash and the fact that executives around the league do not think highly of George Pickens. Are we seeing why the receiver was drafted in the 2nd round instead of the 1st? 

Aditi Kinkhabwala from the NFL on CBS joined the show. Aditi gave her initial reaction to Art Rooney getting a failing grade from the players in the NFLPA report. She said it’s something to take with a grain of salt, but it still is not very flattering to the Steelers. Aditi said she had a good chat with Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who talked about a good meeting with the Steelers and Mike Tomlin in Indy. Aditi mentioned again that Jacoby Brissett would be a nice addition to the Steelers QB room. 

Donny Football Debrief – Another Mel Kiper mock draft.