The Pomp And Joe Show
10AM - Six Pack: Rodgers could definitely return, Will Howard, Penguins dominate; Big Ben thinks Tomlin could coach in college, Patrick Graham new DC
30 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What are the latest updates on Aaron Rodgers' potential return?
Did limits just say a brevi instead of a bevi of things? Yeah, limits. I'm a little bit worried you might have messed up there. It's a bevi, not a brevi?
There is no brevi. Brevi's not a word, I don't think. You better check your Malsy Thesaurus.
That's why I added that in. Because I don't know how to check the thesaurus. Bevi, I think it's B-E-V-V-Y. It's not brevi. Really?
Yeah.
24 years on this earth and I always thought it was brevi.
Yep. You might have to take a ballsy moochoo while you're at it.
It's up there with Zygest now.
Zygest?
The Zygeist.
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Chapter 2: How are the Penguins performing this season?
I just don't see that ending with anything beyond sneaking into the playoffs and getting hammered in the first round. Art said he'd run it back, Art's running it back. Your reaction out there to what Kabaly wrote and to the notion that Aaron Rodgers will be back for another run, the notion of it, we don't know yet.
We don't know for sure if this is going to happen yet, but, man, I know Pompeiani doesn't think it'll happen, but it sure looks that way. 412-928-9370. Welcome to Adani Football Friday. Off the top, presented by J.P. Roofing and Siding. Fan Twitter brought to you by South Hills Kia Peters Township. It's them at SouthHillsKia.net.
The text line brought to you by Edgar Snyder & Associates, a personal injury law firm where they always say there's never a fee. unless we get money for you. And of course, the Rogers story is accompanied by another one limits and I would like you to crack one in favor of this. Thank you. It's will hard and we have Donnie in here. A tried and true Yinzer, and I mean that as a compliment, Donnie.
You're an unbelievable Yinzer. And I want you to judge who had the better Will Howard, a caller to your guy's show the other day who said I'm a Will Howard guy, or Mike McCarthy. And I suspect that McCarthy, even though he needs no lessons in Yinzerese, really went hard on Will Howard in his news conference to appease the masses.
So, Limits, why don't you play for Donnie the caller and then Mike McCarthy multiple times, and we'll let this man, and there's no better judge that I've ever met, to judge which one was more pure yinzer, the caller or Mike Mack. I'm a Will Howard guy. I'm a Will Howard guy. I'm a Will Howard guy. I'm a Will Howard guy. I'm really excited about Will Hart. I'm really excited about Will Hart.
I'm really excited about Will Hart. Donnie, do you need another sampling or was that enough to judge? I'm really excited about Will Hart. I'm a Will Hart guy.
I initially want to go with the caller, Will Hart. He gave it even more. There was no sense of a W. I'm a Will Hart guy.
Yeah, there's no W there. There's no W's anywhere in this situation.
I feel like McCarthy might have snuck one in a little bit. I feel like I want to go with the caller. Those are a lot closer than what I thought they would be.
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Chapter 3: What does Big Ben think about Mike Tomlin coaching in college?
Yeah, so you have a little bit of that, I think. I also think there are two camps with the Will Howard... as the Steelers' starting quarterback thing. I think there are people that have a genuine curiosity, and I would say that you and I are in that boat, of, hey, let's just throw the guy out there for a season. Let's see what we got. If he stinks, he stinks.
Hey, high draft pick, maybe that bodes well for you. If he's actually pretty good, maybe there's something here. Let's continue to mine this thing. And the other camp is, And it might be people that are like diehard Ohio State fans that think there is truly, truly something great inside and the Steelers can untap him. They're feeding that every day. They are. I think that's unrealistic.
I think that's ā I wouldn't say unrealistic. I'll say it's unfair. I'll say it's very unfair to the player because now the poor kid is being talked about as if he was a first-round pick. He got taken 185.
It's very unrealistic that he'll ever be the Steelers starter. It might happen. I mean, it was unrealistic that Willie Parker and James Harrison would be Steelers starters. But it's very unrealistic is a good word.
Okay. I also just want to think that it's unfair to the player because the moment this kid steps in. He, like, already has expectations to be, oh, well, this guy can be the next Tom Brady. There's only one Tom Brady for a reason, okay? There's been a couple of okay quarterbacks to come out of round six. Mark Bulger, who's a local kid, Matt Hasselbeck.
If he ends up like one of those guys, that is a fantastic career for a guy that got taken 185. For sure. To Rod Taylor, another one, round six. If he has a career like that, fantastic career for a kid picked 185. We should just be happy if he is a career backup. But I would go back here to the beginning, Joe, and say let's at least see. Sure. What the kid has. Like, I am curious there.
Don't let somebody else find out because, you know, if he would end up in in some offensive wizard system, if ends up in a Shanahan offense or O'Connell or somebody, he's going to look good. And then we're going to be left looking like the idiots again.
I'd be glad to look like an idiot again. I'd be happy for Will Howard and for everybody else. But here's the other question, Donnie. Limits. Can you crack one, please? You mentioned back, we're talking about him as a quote backup. What about Mason Rudolph? If I told you you had to bet everything you own, let's say Rogers is coming back. Let's say that's going to happen.
Who's the backup for week one? Mason Rudolph or Will Hard? I would say Mason. So would I. I think he opens as their third string quarterback.
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Chapter 4: Who is Will Howard and why is he generating buzz?
But first, before we go, one other item. We're getting real close to pitchers and catchers reporting, my friend. February 11th in Bradenton. Limits and I are trying to combat your show so that we're the ones that get sent this year because I want to play golf in Bradenton.
I don't think a show has been sent there in years, right? We haven't gone there. I thought Pony went there last year. Pony did, but that wasn't like a PM team invite. Oh, okay. Yeah, I mean, per usual, Pony got the special treatment. Malzi and I had to stay back here.
Right, okay. Well, that's an aside. Let me gauge Donnie Baseball's excitement level on the Pirates going into this season, especially relative to recent years. Scale of one to five Donnie baseball. If you're a one, it's same as ever, or maybe even lower to all the way up to five where you are just, you are so beyond fired up for this. You don't even know what to do with yourself. Where are you?
I'll meet you at like a three or maybe like a three and a half. Uh, because something that, uh, I, I texted you about before the show, Joe was that they, they came out of the gate and actually made a couple of moves that should get people excited. They, they acquired, uh, Brendan Lau, who's going to be, I think he steps right in. He's their best offensive player.
Uh, and I also think that helps out everybody else, uh, But in the lineup, there's finally some protection there for guys we have been hoping to take that next step up. Maybe like O'Neal Cruz or Brian Reynolds getting a bounce back year in him. The Ryan O'Hearn signing, another good one. You bring somebody in that can knock 15-ish points. Balls out of the ballpark.
So they added power, and that was nice. A guy that had 30-plus last year, a guy that I think had 16 in O'Hearn. They added something they desperately needed, but then the next question became for us, Joe, when is that next Pirates move? Yeah.
Because it seemed like after that, folks who cover the team, and I know Jason Mackey, who will be on his way down to Bradenton in a couple of weeks, he said, well, at the time... I don't think they're done. I think there's going to be another move here. Somebody at third base. Yeah, I mean, there was reason for people like Jason to say that and others who cover the team.
I think there's going to be another move here. They have to figure out something at third base. And then I think that would have people maybe at a four or a five. Who knows when it comes to excitement level. But that move hasn't happened. Not yet. And now we're getting close to the team being down there. Not to say that it can't happen still because there are some names still out there.
But we're getting close to them reporting. And that void at third base has yet to be filled. It's pretty big.
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Chapter 5: What are the implications of Patrick Graham's hiring as DC?
So, to me, I interpret that as... We don't know about Will Howard, but just because he was surrounded by greatness doesn't mean that he's also doesn't mean he can't also be really good. It doesn't. And in this case, it's the opposite. Just because this guy was surrounded by crap and the numbers are crappy doesn't mean that he's crappy. You know what I mean?
We don't know until he gets a shot with a more talented unit.
Yeah, I think that's a good way to put it. There's concerns of, okay, he's been with now, this would be his fourth team in, I think, seven years. So that's something a little bit concerning. And I believe every team he's been the D.C. for has finished with a losing record. But you can't really just throw that on the defensive coordinator. You can't. Because you also have to consider defense.
how bad was the offense, how bad was the quarterback.
But what about a proven coordinator? What about Raheem Morris, who beat Joe Burrow in a Super Bowl with the Rams defense?
I would have liked something like that. I thought that they could have been a little bit more patient and maybe considered Jim Schwartz once he blew up over the Browns not hiring him. And I thought Aditi made a great point with the guys the other day because a lot of people had the quick pushback about Schwartz of ā Well, he runs a 4-3 predominantly. We can't do that. Steelers are 3-4.
And her point was, it's insulting to somebody like Jim Schwartz to think he can't adapt to what another team does. To think... Yeah, he prefers the 4-3, but to insinuate that he would have no idea how to run a defense if they are built for a 3-4 like the Steelers historically have been and still are.
Yeah, but isn't everybody just built for sub-package football that they play 75% of the time anyway?
That's another point that I thought of that, okay, yeah, their base is 3-4. You know, Schwartz is used to the base 4-3. but there are so many times where that's not even like... Relevant. Yeah, that's not even like the defense's alignment. It doesn't always really matter.
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