You ask. I answer. It’s time for “Mailing It In,” a weekly Q&A that appears Tuesdays at TribLive.com. Most of the questions come via X, but you can also hit me up at jraystarkey@gmail.com. Let’s gooooooo …
Scoops, @Scoops1616: Dr. Joseph, Would it be possible to not utter the word “Aaron” until there is a decision? This drama is awful. Terrible radio and monotonous. Ignore the drama queen until it is relevant. Yeah I know, it is draft week and “a story.” Is it really?
Starkey: The quarterback position for the Pittsburgh Steelers is kind of a story, Dr. 1616, yes — especially now that the draft is upon us and team president Art Rooney II said he expected word from Rodgers by the draft.
(Update: Rooney told my radio partner, KDKA’s Bob Pompeani, on Monday: “I don’t know if it’ll be before the draft. I think it’ll be soon.” So I guess that’s helpful!)
Now, is it possible the Steelers already know what Rodgers is doing? Of course it is. They knew last year, Mike Tomlin later admitted, even though word never leaked of Rodgers’ intentions until shortly before he signed in the first week of June.
My guess is they know, one way or another, if Rodgers is coming back. I’ve been bored by this topic, too, and have not spent a ton of time on it. But this is draft week. It is THE story now, and it is threatening to overshadow the entire event. Not in a good way, either. The Steelers look terrible.
My feeling is that Rodgers appreciated his first season here, likes the organization and respects Mike McCarthy. I just cannot see him letting Rooney, Omar Khan and McCarthy twist in the wind as they ready for the draft. That would be pretty rotten of him. He must know what he’s going to do by now.
I think they know, too. If he’s coming back, would they have leaked word of it to their fans, via national media, by now? Maybe, but they knew he was coming back last year and there were no leaks to reassure fans.
Sorry to say, but the noise will only grow louder as Thursday approaches.
Gooseheimer2023, @gooseheime83054: Should we maybe change the moniker from “City of Champions” to “City of Losers” or “City of Absolute Embarrassing Failure In Big Games.”
Starkey: Well, Dr. 2023, other than the Riverhounds and the Pittsburgh Passion, our professional sports teams simply cannot win a playoff round. This series isn’t over, but it’s looking a lot like a Steelers playoff game.
So call it whatever you want.
Denny Wolfe, @dennywolfe1925: What lineup changes would you make for the Pens before Game 3 if you were Dan Muse?
Starkey: Good morning, Dr. Wolfe. First, I would find a spot for Avery Hayes, who isn’t afraid to get to the net. Justin Brazeau is an option, too, and I would even consider Boko Imama as the Flyers continue to target the Penguins’ stars, just like coach Rick Tocchet said they would. Jack St. Ivany on defense is an option, too, and likely a good one. The Penguins’ defense has not exactly bathed itself in glory.
Decay Sports Pgh, @GodBeware95591: This is a crazy thought but what if …. the Steelers desperately want Simpson. They already know Rodgers is gonna retire, that’s why he isn’t signed and they don’t have any answers about him. The Steelers show no interest to fly under the radar.
Starkey: Wouldn’t be the first time, Dr. 95591. You’ll remember that they threw everybody off the Kenny Pickett scent, to the point where people were reporting there was “zero chance” the Steelers would take Pickett and that Mike Tomlin only “has eyes for Malik Willis.”
ECA, @mot2grls: Did the media unfairly move the goalposts by saying if the Pens didn’t win the series, the season was a failure? Do I want them to win? Hell yes!! Thanks favorite radio host!!
Starkey: I believe it was more like, if the Pens get wrecked in the first round, the season is a failure, Dr. 2, and that is what’s happening so far.
The bar changes as a season progresses. That’s just a fact. And when the Flyers became the matchup, the stakes grew even larger. That’s just the way it is. Doesn’t matter that most picked the Penguins to miss the playoffs this season. If all they were going to do is get swept by the Flyers (if that happens), maybe they would have been better off missing.
RyGuy, @RyCharles427: Why do the fans in PPG Paints Arena insist on cheering “flyers suck” instead of cheering for their own team on the ice?
Starkey: Have you heard what Flyers fans chant at Sidney Crosby, Dr. Charles?
Tom Mosser Design, @tommosser: Hi Joe. Is the home ice advantage in hockey the weakest “home” playing advantage in all of sports? It could be a good omen for the Pens. The Pens won all of their five recent cups on away ice. Rate the four major sports in terms of the advantage of playing at home.
Starkey: Research seems to be a bit shoddy on this topic, Dr. Design, but in studying the available data, it would appear that NFL and NBA teams have pronounced advantages at home in the playoffs, while NHL and MLB teams do not.
Please don’t quote me on that, but it seems obvious that in the NFL, there is a very real advantage to having a loud crowd: Your team can operate on a normal snap count, while the other team must go to a silent count, allowing pass rushers to potentially get a quicker jump on quarterbacks. That’s a big deal.
All that being said, I’m not sure losing two games at home is a “good omen” for the Penguins. The weight of history is against them.
Gman, @nunyabzwax: Are we sure Crosby wanted to play playoff hockey again? Can his agent remind him he is two games in the first playoff series?
Starkey: You are recalling Sidney Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, saying his client “deserves” to play in the playoffs again, Dr. Gman, and you are correct in your recollection. And Brisson was right.
But so are you, in a way: Crosby has been awfully quiet through two games. Not for a lack of effort, of course, but quiet nonetheless. If that doesn’t change in Game 3, the Penguins are likely cooked.
RyanG, @M1ngoG: Why not just move Watt to inside linebacker? He can’t get off the edge like he could in the past. Pretty sure he can still tackle guys. I think the Packers moved Clay Matthews inside after he got older.
Starkey: You’ve gone nuts, Dr. G. I’ll be the first to point out that the Steelers should not have signed T.J. Watt to his latest contract. They should have traded him before giving him $41 million per year. He obviously did not perform to his contract.
Having said that, in 14 games last season, he had seven sacks, 27 quarterback pressures, 10 quarterback knockdowns, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions and eight defended passes. You make him sound like Cassius Marsh.
CoachC, @BigTeeCee21: Greetings Dr. Starkey. Heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs you said you wanted Flyers vs. Pens because you wanted to be “entertained” by the rivalry, nastiness, etc. Have you found anything even remotely entertaining about the first two games of this disaster?
Starkey: Well, the nastiness is certainly there, Dr. C, but you’re right: This has been mostly a low-event series (except for all the Flyers breakaways in Game 1). Flyers coach Rick Tocchet loves the 1-1-3 trap, so he’s getting what he wants.
Game 2 was flat-out boring until the third period.
Pittsburgh Patti, @PattiPittsburgh: Holy Flaming Pentacles, Joe. How do we move past that hockey game?
Starkey: Well, for a day you probably don’t, Dr. P. The season is officially on the line Wednesday, though, so you better be ready for that game!
Joel Alexander, @Joel_Closer: Does it now seem clear that the Steelers and Penguins have hung on to aging veterans for far too long while the Pirates may have cut bait at the right time?
Starkey: You make a fair point, Dr. Closer, and that is why I have the Pirates as the next team to win a playoff round — excluding the Riverhounds and Passion — around here (OK, I had the Penguins winning one as recently as four days ago, but as you might have noticed, things have changed).
Young stars usually lead the way in any sport. The Pirates have two of them in Paul Skenes (proven) and Konnor Griffin (working on it).
Bubba, @oh_booey: Joe, are Pittsburgh sports cooked?
Starkey: Let’s not go too far, Dr. oh. It’s possible all three will be playoff teams in this calendar year. Granted, the playoff situations are not going well — and I am one who says if you get blown out in the first round, you might as well not have qualified — but “cooked” seems strong.
Tomiesteel, @tomiesteel: What does this city need to lift the playoff curse?
Starkey: Win a playoff round, Dr. steel, something that hasn’t happened with our professional sports teams — with the exception of the Riverhounds and the Passion— since Jake Guentzel’s four goals in Game 6 eliminated the Flyers in 2018.
I have been saying for years now that the Pirates will win the 2027 World Series. Be patient.
Dysen Gould, @dysgould_2005: Dr. Starkey, what do you make of this crazy NL Central right now? Which teams are legit and which are just playing good baseball right now and won’t sustain it? Thank you, Sir
Starkey: No, thank YOU, Dr. Gould. What I see is the best division in baseball. How about the job Terry Francona has done with the Reds since he arrived last season?
I’m tempted to say the Cardinals will fade, but it’s possible this division will be strong all year. The Brewers are battling massive injuries, but they’re the Brewers. They’ll find a way.
I’m sticking with the Cubs as the division winner, with the Brewers and Pirates as wild cards.
Ed Helinski, @MrEd315: In your estimation, what’s left in the tank for the Pens against the Flyers? Might it be half a tank, a quarter, smelling fumes, or something else?
Starkey: I don’t think they’re going to go down easily, Dr. Helsinki. They have fought back from adversity all season long, and there is too much pride in that room. They also should have plenty left in the tank. Maybe that break at the end of the season wasn’t so helpful, after all …
Jgparks07.04.1776, @jgparks482: Do you think resting the big guns the last three games of the season disrupted the Penguins’ chemistry?
Starkey: Maybe, but I’m more wondering if it took away an edge. That’s not an excuse, nor am I blaming coach Dan Muse for sitting those guys. I thought it was the right move. Now I am wavering.
Or maybe the Flyers are just younger and faster.
Taylor, @Taylor72815844: Hate to say it, but with the Pens season coming to a close sooner than most thought, what’s next for this core? It’s obvious that they are being beat by a younger, faster and stronger team. Possibly more “hungry” as well? What’s next Joe?
Starkey: Yes, all of that appears to be a problem, Dr. 72815844. It’s sort of the inconvenient truth here: The Penguins, like last year’s Capitals, are not some young team on the rise but rather an aging team looking for one or two more kicks at the can.
As with the Capitals this season, that reality could hit hard for the Penguins next season. It’s one thing to lose in the first round like the 2006-07 Penguins did. That was clearly a young team ascending. This clearly is not.
GM Kyle Dubas has given himself and the team a chance at a good future by building up the farm system and stocking picks, but it’s not like there is a young core of NHL players to build around. Not yet.
philbanks72, @philbanks72: Why does this series feel like the one we lost to the Bruins in 2013.
Starkey: Because the Penguins can’t score, Dr. 72.
Art, sell the team, @de6658: Should the Penguins buy out the rest of Letang’s contract?
Starkey: Believe it or not, Der. 6658, Letang still has two years and $12.2 million left on his deal. That means a buyout would be two-thirds of that total spread over four years. Seems like a lot. But I don’t blame you for wondering.
Donald Hilenbrant, @Hildebeest24: Hi, Joe. I know people don’t want to compare the Penguins and Steelers situations. As a fan of both teams. Doesn’t this feel eerily similar to the football team in town? Was it actually worth it to make the playoffs, if the Pens just get worked/outclassed in the first round?
Starkey: It won’t feel worth it if they lose in four or five games, that’s for sure, Dr. 24 — and yes, it will feel very Steeler-like. Add in the fact that the Penguins have an aging core, just like the Steelers’ defense, and it feels even worse.
I’m sorry you brought it up, although I think a lot of people are making the comparison.
Stan Levi, @StanLevi412: My question: Did anyone inform the Penguins that there is a playoff series going on and they are one of the teams?
Starkey: Apparently not, Dr. 412. Hopefully that will happen by Wednesday.
And thank you for asking.