The Pomp And Joe Show
The Limitless Express - potential replacement refs, the Final Four is set
30 Mar 2026
Chapter 1: What teams are in the Final Four and who might win?
Penguins and Islanders tonight at 7 o'clock. Archer Shelovs will get the start in net opposite Ilya Sorokin for the New York Islanders. And it's a big game because the Islanders right there in the thick of it with the Penguins and the Metropolitan Division standings as they sit right now. Penguins. With a game in hand on the Islanders. 88 points. Islanders at 89.
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I love you. I love you. They call them trolls or whatever. People that just sit behind a computer in their mom's basement. You idiot. It was a joke. Hold on. Let me put my wooden teeth in so you can understand me better.
Okay.
And we're sitting here again. We're sitting here again talking about the same thing. Now you're insulting my intelligence. Now I'm insulting your integrity. That's incringulant. We never got Bob saying all aboard. I was waiting for that part. That's correct. We did not. You took that out. You took that out. I did not take it out. Yes, you did.
It's actually something that was never added in officially. I would just always search for Bob saying all aboard. It's one of my favorite parts, but that's okay, Limits. Onward we go. It's time for a little trip.
All aboard!
On the Limited Express. Limited. It's limited because Joe told me we were doing this five minutes ago. It's limited because, Bob, your voice wasn't on there at the end. Oh, okay. Go ahead, Limits. Bob, did you know that you were in the final four of the Pittsburgh Media March Madness Tournament? Who else is in it? It is Colby Armstrong versus Taylor Haas. Wow. Bob Pompiani versus Bill Hillgrove.
Oh, wow. What a matchup that is, Bob. That's a loss coming. I learned the hard way that Taylor Haas has a very rabid following, Bob. Huge Twitter following for Taylor. I got blown out. Yeah, I got blown out in the, I think it was the Elite Eight. I think it was the Sweet 16. Maybe the Sweet 16. I can't get past that like Jamie Dixon. Correct. Yes. But, Bob, you are winning with 67% of the votes.
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Chapter 2: What are Joe and Bob's predictions for the Final Four matchups?
If I had to put money on it, a limitless wonder, I think I would put money on Arizona.
Bob? Probably, but I'm going to think UConn's going to go down. I think Illinois is going to pull out an upset there. I do. The way they're playing, how they're playing, the way they present matchup problems to other teams. Who do you want to win? I really don't care. I mean, I think Michigan's a team that I liked at the beginning of the season.
I didn't know how far they'd get, but they had a nice team. So I think I'll go Michigan.
Did we all agree that the shot last night beat the Leitner shot? Yes. Yes. At the beginning, I wasn't in agreeance with that. I thought the Leitner shot, but Bob, you convinced me because UConn had no control of the situation. They didn't have the ball.
And for it to break the way it did was a combination of luck, because when you deflect the ball, you don't know where it's going to go, and skill and smarts and a great shot from 35 feet. Is that what they ultimately said? Yeah, 35 feet.
Which is still a lot deeper than the three-point line.
You're talking about another 15 feet beyond it. I'm giving that the edge over the Leitner shot as perhaps the greatest in March Madness history. Not perhaps the greatest in March Madness history.
The Leitner thing, the only reason I said that is because they had time to diagram the play, and they did it. They executed it. This was just, okay, first of all, how do you get the ball back? Second of all, how do you not foul and get the ball back? And third... You scramble for an open shot, and you actually got one. It'll be from 35 feet.
So, I mean, that was just ā and I think if Mullins had to think more about that shot, he probably would have missed it because he had had a bad shooting day, a bad shooting really tournament, I thought, from three. But it was just so quick. He's a good player. He was Mr. Indianapolis when he played ā what was it? Mr. Indiana. Indiana basketball, yeah. So they're going to Indianapolis.
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Chapter 3: How does the Braylon Mullins shot compare to historic NCAA shots?
It's going to be hair. It's going to be everything.
So you're saying that Crowley has a lot of dad strength? Yeah. Crowley has no strength. I arm wrestled him once, Bob. Oh, I don't know. Next. I've lost track. All right, here we go. Art Rooney has spoken, Bob. The Steelers are expecting a decision about Aaron Rodgers' future before the upcoming NFL draft.
But, I mean, it's been this way. Omar Khan made it sound like it was going to happen a month ago or even more than that. It's still lingering out there. Charlie Batch has gone on record thinking that it's a money dispute, that he wants somewhere near $30 million. So, Joe, what would you do in that situation?
There's nothing, Bob, to this. There's nothing at all. And the people are saying, oh, the Steelers are embarrassing themselves by letting it linger. They know he's coming here. I'm convinced of that. Just like last year. I don't have any hard and fast information except for, well, last year when Mike Tomlin told everybody later on. Yeah, the whole thing. I knew the whole time he was coming.
I think Omar Khan, Art and Mike McCarthy know he's coming. Maybe they have to dot some I's and cross some T's. But the whole thing is I don't even want to talk about it. I really don't because I'm convinced that it's a done deal and he's coming here.
You're not? No, I've come to that conclusion a while ago, but the longer it goes. I don't understand the reasoning, though. If they have agreed, what's the point of not saying something?
I don't know. What was the point last year?
I don't know. When they knew the whole time. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, it's not like they're going to change their draft policy and their strategy. If they really don't know and it goes into the draft, it does then change a little bit of how you think. Doesn't it? Of course.
But they said it'll be decided before the draft, right? Or at least announced, I should say, before the draft.
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Chapter 4: What is the latest on Aaron Rodgers' future with the Steelers?
Unless they know. Unless they know, right. Next. But let's say that he does, and you know he's coming back. Does that change your opinion of the Steelers' offensive line and their number one pick at 21? Because I have always thought it was wide receiving. And even though some people say, well, you have Metcalf and you have Pittman, fine. But in time, one of those guys could become a cap casualty.
If they don't produce it, you don't want to spend $30 million on somebody. You can make a move. And if you have some insulation with a younger receiver, that guy moves right into the slot. But now there's talk there could be a tackle available, and they don't know the Broderick Jones extent of the injury and what that would do to limit him.
Would you be so inclined to again draft another lineman with your first pick? What? That was a lot, Bob. Okay.
I'd take a guard. I'd take the kid from Penn State.
I'm just saying, would you do that again? Year after year they've been doing that.
I'd take the guard. I would. Okay. Unless I somehow get sold on Ty Simpson between now and draft day. And some people are talking about Nussmeyer superseding him. What do you think about that?
Well, this is the time where you get all the mocks coming at you. And Dan Orlovsky's gone on record as saying that he thinks Ty Simpson is better than Mendoza.
Don't you think there's some bias there, though, Bob? Because Ty Simpson and Dan Orlovsky are represented by the same agency?
Yeah, I get that.
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Chapter 5: What are the implications of hiring replacement referees in the NFL?
Both of you guys think they should give the refs whatever they want?
No, I didn't say that. I did not say that either. I didn't say that. They should give in, though. They should give in. What I said was they're not, by the end of the day, when it comes down to games, you're not going to see replacement refs. I think this is all part of negotiation.
I think that's why they're going to get them ready and trained. And I think the average NFL official made $385,000 in 2025. To me, that sounds like a pretty fair rate. They're offering a six-year deal that averages annual raises of nearly 7%, and they're already paying nearly $400,000 on average to referees. I think that's pretty good. But it's also a very important part of the game. Yeah.
Let me ask you this. Before this ever came up, if I asked you after this last season, do you think NFL referees do a good job, would you have said yes or no?
I would have said largely yes, just like I think baseball umpires do a largely good job. Wow. Don't say that to CB Buckner. With technology, I know he's been bad, but with technology, it makes it very difficult because all you're going to do is look at the slowest of motions and make a decision.
When you have to make that call live, and they do miss a lot of things, but they're also handed down by the NFL a list of things that they have to consider year in and year out.
That part I agree with. The second part is they've asked refs to try to adjudicate too many things.
Right, it's hard to do it on the fly.
But I'm not sure that the games that, well, we all watch a million games. I wouldn't say they're doing a bang-up job either. Maybe that's just me.
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Chapter 6: What are the main concerns regarding NFL referee negotiations?
I do agree it's hard.
Our officials are substantially undercompensated. Do you agree with that?
I said I would go for the 10%. That's what I think is reasonable given everything else that they spend on in this league, yes.
All right. I think they're paid pretty well for what they do. I'm not sure I link them with the NFL's revenue growth and how much players should be making, but reasonable people can disagree on that.
Well, it's all part of the pie. It's part of what they do. They're important to the league. It's important to make sure these games are officiated to the highest level. I agree with the fact that they should be looked at and graded All throughout this whole process. I don't think just because you've been in a league for 29 years gives you the right to be an official in a Super Bowl. I agree.
It should be a grading system. I'm not against any of that. All I'm saying is given the money and the profits they make, asking for a 10% raise is not outlandish in a league that makes ridiculous amounts of money. And they're a big part of it.
I think they're going to be up over $400,000 on average salary. I think that's pretty good. Again, 10% every year then.
Yeah.
And 10% on top of that every year?
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Chapter 7: How do the referees' salaries compare to those of players and coaches?
It's all based on your merit, based on what you do. But if you're a full-time employee, then you know you have that living, and you're going to spend most of the time in your off-season trying to get better.
Man, I don't know. Maybe I'm falling prey to what I usually go the other way with when people say, look at all the money these players make. And I say, well, they're just part of the pie. They deserve what they get. And they do. I just don't see referees the same as that. $400,000 to work a football season sounds like a hell of a lot of money and pretty darn good to me.
And on top of that, a 7% raise every year? and all you're being asked is to be held a little more accountable for your performance? In other words, just because you're an older guy doesn't mean you get to work the postseason, and if you screw up, you've got to go get training.
All right. Again, I think it'll all work itself out. I don't want to see replacement refs. I don't.
Then everyone will be freaking out, forgetting all the controversies we have every year with the real refs.
There's controversies every time, but I think it would be this time probably more egregious. With the amount of work they put on these guys, technology being what it is, you'll see a lot more.
They also get bonuses and benefits, according to the athletic Mike Jones already. What are the benefits? I don't know. He didn't list them. Okay.
Well, I mean, obviously it's a great gig, but I understand why they would want more given ā The billions of dollars that they get every year from all of their television money and money that comes from corporations, they got a powerhouse there. So to me, it seems like it's just something that could get done sooner rather than later, and it doesn't need to be dragged out.
Well, if you have thoughts on this, give us a call, 412-928-9370. Thank you, Limits, for the Limitless Express. It was wonderful.
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