The Pomp And Joe Show

A caller referred to Joe as eeyore yesterday for being a downer. Bob helped Mark Kaboly get his car out of a divot at St. Vincent and it took over an hour! Arthur Smith said with Jeff Hathhorn that there have been ups and downs, but that the offense has made progress so far. Smith is excited to work with Aaron Rodgers and how they've worked in plays.

What percentage chance do you give Will Howard to be the Steelers answer? Bob and Austin are below 20%, but Bob has some optimism. We have a punting competition! What's the more likely experiment to work: Mark Robinson at fullback or Darnell Washington at tackle?

Bob will call the Steelers preseason game on Saturday in Jacksonville. Tim Benz said the Steelers were one of 10 teams that were at Arizona State's practice, maybe to see Sam Leavitt. The Steelers list three starting tight ends on the depth chart. Roman Wilson is third string behind Calvin Austin and Robert Woods.

We continue to hear from Pirates fans on why they like going to games, but also why they want to stay away until something changes. The Pirates are high on the list of expensive tickets. Emmanuel in Carnegie doesn't blame people for going.

People are frustrated with the Pirates and some fans are trying to convince others not to go to games. Should loyal Penguins fans be blamed when they go to the games with the Pens struggling? It's one comparison that doesn't seem right. We hear from Pirates fans.

Dan Zangrilli said the Pirates have talked to Paul Skenes about a contract extension. We don't know any of the details, but it's a steep hill. Paul Skenes told Noah Hiles in the Post-Gazette he hopes the Pirates spend money on bats in the offseason and is very notable. Elliotte Freidman is reporting that Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle are reportedly below the offer Fenway Sports Group wants to sell the Penguins.

The full Pomp and Joe Show, with Joe Starkey and Austin Bechtold (behind the glass), from Monday, August 4th, 2025

Hour 1 with Joe Starkey: DK Metcalf said the Steelers have the best defense he's ever seen. Charlie Batch can see the Steelers winning 11 games. He thinks this team is like the 2005 Steelers who had a late run to win the Super Bowl. Should we now believe Mike Tomlin made good moves and do you believe in Mike Tomlin? Are you buying what the Steelers are selling?

Hour 2 with Joe Starkey: Would you rather the Steelers go 5-12 or 10-7 and win a playoff game? The Steelers are going to be aggressive moving up for a quarterback, but would be easier with 5 wins. Who will make the Steelers 53-man roster? Ray Fittipaldo and Mark Kaboly released their projections, with a few differences.

Hour 3 with Joe Starkey: Mike DeFabo has been underwhelmed by the offense. Broderick Jones was Mike's biggest concern going into training camp, and has stayed the same. Ben Cherington said he would never make a trade to save money. He said they can use payroll space to help the team. We are baffled by the Bailey Falter trade.