Is it time to really question where things are with Kenny Pickett as the Steelers QB1? The guys think Mike Tomlin could be smitten by some of the college prospects or free agents that hit the market, or still have curiosity in Mason Rudolph. Are we one more good performance away from Rudolph taking control on this job heading into the off-season? 

Hour 1: Cam Heyward addressed the rumors regarding the Kenny Pickett situation on his podcast. He didn’t deny the story Chris had. Chris tried to make it clear to people that his story isn’t the same as the rumors that have been swirling about Pickett taking his ball and going home when he wasn’t named the starter against Seattle. 

Chris wanted to give credit to Najee Harris for what he has done in the back half of this season. The guys discussed how well Jaylen Warren and Harris are complementing each other and why less is more with the running backs. Caller suggested the Steelers should start Kenny Pickett on Saturday. 

Former Penguin Tyler Kennedy joined the show. TK talked about his Christmas and the voyage back to the stores for his wife to return every gift he got her. Tyler got into the Penguins’ loss to the Caps last night and what he actually liked about the performance. He was discouraged by Tristan Jarry, but the offense was able to rally to make it a one-goal game. Chris asked TK about Ryan Graves and how the Penguins can fix what he is doing right now. Tyler suggested moving Graves around with the defensive pairings and try to find something that will click. Tyler thinks the Penguins can definitely jump some teams in front of them. When it comes to the trade deadline, he doesn’t see Kyle Dubas sitting around if the Pens need a move. 

Hour 2: For the 17th straight year, Mike Tomlin will have a non-losing season following the win in Seattle. Travis Kelce has taken a shot at the media and people who don’t want Tomlin around anymore. All of the sudden, everyone is back on Tomlin’s side after back-to-back wins. Donny and Chris wanted to remind people that the Steelers had very good odds of making the playoffs before they lost to teams like the Browns w/ Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the Cardinals and the Patriots – with the last two being at home. Chris said Mason Rudolph deserves about 90% of the credit for where the Steelers are heading into the final week. 

Where do fans stand with Mike Tomlin right now?

Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined the show. Mike talked about his rating of Mike Tomlin right now. He got into what this run for Mason Rudolph may mean for the future of the Steelers QB room. Mike pointed out something telling about the Kenny Pickett situation and why it is weird to him. Mike doesn’t think the Steelers will be led to slaughter if they happen to sneak into the playoffs. He thinks the 2 seed is beatable this season, unlike what we’ve seen in year’s past since the 7-seed format began. Mike talked about why the division rivals always give the best playoff games. Mike had an interesting take on the penalty that lost the Lions the game on Saturday in Dallas. 

Hour 3: The Steelers awards are out. Yesterday, TJ Watt was named team MVP. Today, Patrick Peterson was rewarded for his relationship with the media and Joey Porter Jr. was named Rookie of the Year. We took another trip down memory lane and broke down how bad some of the recent drafts have been before the 2023 class. Chris thinks there could have been a case made for multiple rookies on this roster. Donny and Chris went through this rookie class and why they are optimistic about a lot of players in the future. Chris thinks a big key to this class is how the Steelers attacked areas that matter. Donny said last year’s draft gets him even more excited for what is to come in late April 2024. 

Aditi Kinkhabwala from the NFL on CBS joined the show. Aditi loves what she has seen from Mason Rudolph in the two games he’s played this season, but she’s not sure if that creates a big enough market for him outside of Pittsburgh. Aditi talked about what the early career was like for Rudolph, filling in for Ben Roethlisberger in 2019. Aditi isn’t sure if a Rudolph return automatically creates a QB competition heading into next season. Aditi isn’t buying into the Kenny Pickett rumors and thinks it isn’t a time to tear down the second-year player. 

Donny Football Debrief – Donny brought up some parallels between this matchup Saturday with the Steelers and Ravens to one we saw a couple of years ago. 

Hour 4: Does the two-game surge from Mason Rudolph make you happier with Mike Tomlin or more upset that it took him so long to make the decision? Chris doesn’t think Tomlin has had a good feel for the quarterback position since the departure of Ben Roethlisberger. Chris took a few calls on what fans think is going on with Kenny Pickett. 

93.7 The Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Jeff reacted to Joey Porter Jr. being named the Steelers Rookie of the Year and how it’s more impressive since he didn’t start until Week 7. Jeff thinks it is looking better that Minkah Fitzpatrick and Elandon Roberts could play against the Ravens, but did note that he is not as confident with Roberts. Jeff said there is no fear of Najee Harris missing the game despite the injury report, but he did applaud him for the effort he gave in Seattle. Chris asked Jeff what he makes of the Kenny Pickett situation and Jeff said the player was upset last week when he found out he would not start. Jeff described Mason Rudolph as the perfect soldier for how he has taken the reigns of this offense.  

Faulkner’s Facts – The guys broke down what Eddie Faulkner said to the media earlier today. 

93.7 The Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Jeff reacted to Joey Porter Jr. being named the Steelers Rookie of the Year and how it’s more impressive since he didn’t start until Week 7. Jeff thinks it is looking better that Minkah Fitzpatrick and Elandon Roberts could play against the Ravens, but did note that he is not as confident with Roberts. Jeff said there is no fear of Najee Harris missing the game despite the injury report, but he did applaud him for the effort he gave in Seattle. Chris asked Jeff what he makes of the Kenny Pickett situation and Jeff said the player was upset last week when he found out he would not start. Jeff described Mason Rudolph as the perfect soldier for how he has taken the reigns of this offense.  

Does the two-game surge from Mason Rudolph make you happier with Mike Tomlin or more upset that it took him so long to make the decision? Chris doesn’t think Tomlin has had a good feel for the quarterback position since the departure of Ben Roethlisberger. 

Aditi Kinkhabwala from the NFL on CBS joined the show. Aditi loves what she has seen from Mason Rudolph in the two games he’s played this season, but she’s not sure if that creates a big enough market for him outside of Pittsburgh. Aditi talked about what the early career was like for Rudolph, filling in for Ben Roethlisberger in 2019. Aditi isn’t sure if a Rudolph return automatically creates a QB competition heading into next season. Aditi isn’t buying into the Kenny Pickett rumors and thinks it isn’t a time to tear down the second-year player. 

The Steelers awards are out. Yesterday, TJ Watt was named team MVP. Today, Patrick Peterson was rewarded for his relationship with the media and Joey Porter Jr. was named Rookie of the Year. We took another trip down memory lane and broke down how bad some of the recent drafts have been before the 2023 class. Chris thinks there could have been a case made for multiple rookies on this roster. Donny and Chris went through this rookie class and why they are optimistic about a lot of players in the future. Chris thinks a big key to this class is how the Steelers attacked areas that matter. Donny said last year’s draft gets him even more excited for what is to come in late April 2024. 

Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined the show. Mike talked about his rating of Mike Tomlin right now. He got into what this run for Mason Rudolph may mean for the future of the Steelers QB room. Mike pointed out something telling about the Kenny Pickett situation and why it is weird to him. Mike doesn’t think the Steelers will be led to slaughter if they happen to sneak into the playoffs. He thinks the 2 seed is beatable this season, unlike what we’ve seen in year’s past since the 7-seed format began. Mike talked about why the division rivals always give the best playoff games. Mike had an interesting take on the penalty that lost the Lions the game on Saturday in Dallas.