Joe Starkey Columns category
Joe Starkey: There’s another QB project the Steelers could target, red flags and all
What’s one more? The Mike McCarthy Quarterback School already has two enrollees in Drew Allar and Will Howard. Why not try to add a 6-foot-3, 235-pound, dual-threat, first-round talent for the price of maybe a second-round pick? Actually, there might be one big reason to steer clear — we’ll get...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Teams that fire successful coaches looking pretty good these days
The Pittsburgh Steelers should have fired Mike Tomlin long before he fired himself, just as the Pittsburgh Penguins should have moved on from Mike Sullivan a few years before they did. If championships are the goal, it really is OK to fire a successful coach who can’t get to the...
Joe Starkey: Steelers desperately need Mike McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers to deliver downfield
Mason Rudolph said the magic words the other day when asked about Mike McCarthy’s impact on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive scheme. “(He’s) opening it up quite a bit,” Rudolph said. Man, it’s about time. We’ve been talking about why the Steelers are unable (unwilling?) to “open it up” since the...
Joe Starkey: Carmen Mlodzinski has earned Pirates rotation spot, but here’s the dilemma
Jared Jones is nearly ready to return. Be sure that when he does, it will be in the Pirates’ rotation rather than the bullpen. Jones is coming off a serious arm injury. The Pirates can better manage his innings, recovery time, etc., if he is in the rotation. That is...
Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: What will the Steelers do with Mason Rudolph?
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 … Josh Howard, @jhow2687: Barring any injuries in the QB room, how do you...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Oh no, Buffalo. Not again
Late in regulation of Monday night’s Game 7, I texted another damaged Buffalo sports watcher the following: “I absolutely cannot wait to see what form of torture lay ahead.” His response: “That’s all I can think about. OT loss?” At the very least, I thought. And he was right: OT...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Pirates got a look at NL elite — and they’re not it
Well, that was eye-opening. I don’t care what the full-season stats show in comparing the Pirates to the Philadelphia Phillies. They’re irrelevant. The Phillies have heated up like the Pittsburgh spring since their managerial change. They totally outclassed the Pirates over the past three days, sweeping them by a combined...
Joe Starkey: The Pirates bullpen is in shambles. It’s time for Ben Cherington to fix it
Ben Cherington did a marvelous job fixing the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup this season. Now it’s time to fix the bullpen. I sort of defended the Pirates bullpen recently. There is no defending it now, in the wake of the towering inferno that was the 11-9 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies...
Beyond the Bylines: Pirates attendance; Steelers schedule release; Penguins offseason thoughtsVideo
“Beyond the Bylines” returns this week with Joe Starkey and Tim Benz breaking down the 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers schedule. The guys also get into the Pirates-Phillies series. Plus, they delve into concerns about attendance at PNC Park, especially on days when Paul Skenes pitches. There’s also an extended discussion about...
Joe Starkey: Henry Davis is hitting .151. How long can the Pirates live with this?
If one could work his way into becoming a good major-league hitter, Henry Davis would be Henry Aaron by now. Nobody doubts the diligence. Davis is committed. He’s on the job 25 hours a day, 366 days a year. He shocked the world by willing himself into becoming a good...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Pirates ace Paul Skenes probably won’t win NL MVP — but he could own postseason
As long as Shohei Ohtani stays healthy, the National League MVP award likely is on lockdown — although it’s also possible that voter fatigue could emerge. So could Paul Skenes with 20 wins and something ridiculous like a 1.80 ERA. Still, Ohtani remains the greatest athlete in the world and...
Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: Was the Jake Guentzel trade a sensible move for Penguins?
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 … Let’s Talk Pens, @LetsTalkPIT: If you could undo one move each for the...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Aroldis Chapman sure would look good in the Pirates’ bullpen
Matt Clement, who won 87 games as a big-league pitcher, came up with an enticing idea last week when he joined Bob Pompeani and myself for his weekly radio hit on 93.7 The Fan: Bring back Aroldis Chapman. The Pirates bullpen hasn’t been as bad as some claim. But kind...
Joe Starkey: Steelers cannot properly assess Will Howard and Drew Allar with 2 vet QBs on hand
At some point, I do not know when, the Pittsburgh Steelers might have to sacrifice wins in order to develop a quarterback. You’d think that time would be now. They haven’t come close to winning a playoff game since the 2016 season. They have run through quarterbacks like socks since...
Joe Starkey: Will Ben Cherington’s redemption story last through the trade deadline and beyond?
It was a year ago Friday that the Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton and spared general manager Ben Cherington. It was also a year ago Friday that I wrote a column suggesting Cherington was the worst GM in Pittsburgh sports history. So … happy anniversary? I don’t think I...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Bubba Chandler’s command has become a major issue for Pirates — but did he find something?
I don’t know how the Pirates should proceed with Bubba Chandler, but I know this: If he cannot control the strike zone — and, in a related matter, his emotions — he might need to spend time away from the rotation. Chandler leads the major leagues in walks after issuing...
Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: For the sake of the Pirates, would you trade a canceled season for a salary cap?
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 … Bob Sposito, @Sposito331: If you had to guess right now, will there be...
Joe Starkey: Evgeni Malkin has earned proper sendoff from Penguins
The great Evgeni Malkin deserves a farewell tour. This should be an easy call, and if president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas isn’t willing to make it, then the Pittsburgh Penguins’ new owners should: bring back Malkin for one more season and send him off with all the respect and...
Beyond the Bylines: Steelers’ offensive tackle decisions, Penguins’ goalie plans, Pirates’ defense, 1980s board games
This week’s “Beyond the Bylines” covers lots of ground. Joe Starkey and I start off with the news about Broderick Jones failing to receive a fifth-year option from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then we navigate the Steelers’ constant tinkering with the offensive tackle position, Mike McCarthy’s continued praise for Will Howard...
Joe Starkey: Penguins’ old guys need help, not pink slips
I was in favor of a massive, tear-it-to-the-studs rebuild, and when we look back on all this in a year or two, I might still be proven right. Maybe that is what the Pittsburgh Penguins should have done. But president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas chose a different path, and...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Some of the Penguins’ most incredible moments have come in Game 6’sVideo
As the Penguins prepare for a monumental Game 6 in the City of Brotherly Shove, chasing history after falling behind three games to none, a question springs to mind: Why don’t we talk about Game 6’s more? We have an understandable societal obsession with Game 7’s because of the finality...
Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: What is the Steelers’ ideal quarterback depth chart?
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 … Nolan in New Ken, @nolan_in_NK: Good day to you, Joe! As we sit...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Rick Tocchet’s Flyers continue to ‘go after’ Sidney Crosby, but Crosby and Penguins getting strongerVideo
In the days leading up to what has become a highly contentious, increasingly fascinating Eastern Conference quarterfinal, Philadelphia Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said his team needed to “go after” the Pittsburgh Penguins stars. What he meant is subject to interpretation, but the Flyers have absolutely “gone after” Crosby in this...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): If the Penguins are going to make history, these 2 players better join the fray
Hello? Anybody there? We’re four games into the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, and Penguins wingers Anthony Mantha and Egor Chinakhov still haven’t picked up the phone. In the regular season, those two combined for 100 points and 51 goals in just 124 combined games. In this series, they have combined for...
Joe Starkey: Wait a second, Steelers, what happened to the Will Howard era?
There’s a Will, but apparently not a way. Not a way to the Steelers’ starting quarterback job, anyhow, now that the team chose Penn State’s Drew Allar in the third round Friday and is still waiting hopefully on Aaron Rodgers (don’t worry; any day now). Where does this leave Will...
