Could Steelers, Mike Tomlin reach breaking point like Penguins, Mike Sullivan? Or is he safer?

Post-Gazette Sports Network: Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates, Penguins and more

Post-Gazette sports columnist Jason Mackey joins host Adam Bittner to react to a busy week in Pittsburgh sports news.

How much pressure is on Steelers coach Mike Tomlin following the firing of the Penguins' Mike Sullivan? Will he face expectations to win in 2025, after GM Omar Khan decided to keep names like George Pickens and T.J. Watt rather than trade them for future draft capital? And amid the likely signing of veteran Aaron Rodgers? Or will get get a chance to coach the team in 2026, when it holds 10 draft picks and may be able to seek its QB of the future, with names like Arch Manning, Drew Allar, LaNorris Sellers and Nico Iamaleava likely coming out of the college ranks?

Later, the guys tackle the Penguins' new direction without Sullivan. What changed for GM Kyle Dubas between last year and this year, given the reality that expectations for 2024-25 were low? Could a new coach jolt the team like Dan Bylsma did in 2009 or Sullivan did in 2016 to spark Stanley Cup runs from Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang? How much runway does Kyle Dubas have to turn the Penguins into contenders? And is the perception of Sidney Crosby's involvement in front office moves fit reality?

Then in the third segment, airing on the PG’s Pirates YouTube channel, our duo analyzes the continued lack of results in the win-loss column despite some improvement offensively. Is this just a bad team, even if it continues to show some improvement? What does that mean for GM Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton in owner Bob Nutting’s eyes? Is Enmanuel Valdez a useful player? Or only looking good by comparison? And how will things shake out in the rotation with Bubba Chandler becoming hard to deny in the minors, Jared Jones on the mend and Carmen Mlodzinski still struggling after the first time through opposing batting orders?

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