FRISCO, Texas —The Pittsburgh Steelers might be in danger of losing assistant general manager Andy Weidl to the Atlanta Falcons .
The Falcons completed a virtual interview with Weidl on Thursday. They're just getting their process of hiring a general manager started, after having previously hired Matt Ryan as president of football operations and Kevin Stefanski as head coach.
The only team with a general manager vacancy, the Falcons can take their time with their process, so it might be a while before we know whether or not Weidl will be staying in his hometown for 2026.
Read more: Saunders' Steelers Notes from the Road: Andy Weidl's Impact, Some Words About Ketchup (+)
I don't get the sense that Weidl was some kind of favored-status candidate coming into the process for Atlanta, though that can always change as the interview process moves forward. While I think he's deserving of the promotion, Weidl will probably be back in Pittsburgh.
The moment, though, got me thinking about Weidl and his impact on the Steelers. His fingerprints are all over the roster, with the team's trenches out rebuild over the last three years looking quite obviously a lot like the one he helped construct in Philadelphia .
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie offensive linemen Troy Fautanu, Mason McCormick and Zach Frazier at training camp on Aug. 8, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The great thing about linemen is that when you find good ones, they tend to stick around for a while. It's very possible that the Steelers could have Weidl's young linemen like Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick , Troy Fautanu and Derrick Harmon around for another decade. That's a heck of an on-field legacy.
It goes further than that, though. I was walking through the lobby of the hotel here in Frisco where the Shrine Bowl media and team interviews take place, and they were a collection of Steelers scouts having a conversation in a group around Kelvin Fisher — the longest-tenure and most experienced college scout on the team.
But beside Fisher and a few others, the vast majority of the team's scouts are more recent additions. Of the entire college scouting department, only former Steelers players Mark Bruener and Chidi Iwuoma pre-date Weidl.
It's a completely new staff, and so far, the results have been pretty good. Maybe that's all Weidl and Omar Khan at the top, but I think the modernization of the team's scouting staff and processes will also be a legacy that Weidl leaves behind, when he eventually does earn that promotion.
The ketchup bottle from atop the Heinz Field scoreboard on the outside of the building at Heinz History Center. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Ketchup makes for a very odd source of civic pride. But nonetheless, us Pittsburghers have turned it into one.
Ketchup was not, of course, invented in Pittsburgh. In fact, we're not even sure where it was invented or where the word itself came from. Some think it's Chineses, other Malay, and others still, French.
Tomato ketchup — yes, there used to be other kinds — was invented in the late 1700s or early 1800s in America, which makes sense, because tomatoes are American in origin. The first known published recipe for tomato ketchup was written by James Mease, a Philadelphian.
But if ketchup's origins are murky, the place that ketchup was perfected is crystal clear. Industrial production of tomato ketchup by the H.J. Heinz company started on Pittsburgh's North Side in 1876. Heinz's recipe used ripe tomatoes, with more sugar and vinegar to help it last longer in its iconic octagonal bottle, which debuted just before the turn of the century.
With Heinz leading the way, ketchup became the dominant American condiment, and while there are some other products whose hegemony in their field have been so complete as to make their brand name the de-facto name of their product, it's hard to come up with a product where anything other than the top-shelf option pales in comparison more.
I'd never turn down a tissue that wasn't Kleenex, or a cotton swab that wasn't a Q-Tip or a ChapStick with another label. But serve me ketchup other than Heinz? Don't even think about it.
I'm sure that reaction is at least similar in many parts of the country, but it takes on another layer when you're from Pittsburgh. That's OUR ketchup that is the best ketchup, and it's a personal and regional insult to serve something else. Heinz hasn't made ketchup in Pittsburgh in years and has moved much of its headquarters operations to Chicago after a merger with Kraft in 2015. That hasn't changed our region's love affair with the brand one bit.
The popular Pittsburgh Facebook page OneBurgh has a running bit where they declare a "Code 57" when restaurants serve something other than Heinz Ketchup.
Not only has Heinz Ketchup become a symbol of local identity, it has also been intrinsically linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers since the opening of Heinz Field in 2001. With two big, bold ketchup bottles atop the scoreboard, Pittsburgh and the Steelers made their condiment loyalties perfectly clear from the start, and though the stadium's name has changed, one bottle remains outside of Gate C, and of course, the stadium still serves Heinz condiments — anything else would be an outrage.
Heinz ketchup bottle outside Gate C at Acrisure Stadium on April 18, 2023. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
But in that way, it's always made sense to me that one place I can reliably be sure that I will not find Heinz ketchup is M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore .
Since 2018, the Ravens have not offer Heinz condiments at their home stadium, instead signing a deal with McCormick & Company. The Baltimore-based spice brand, famous for the region's ubiquitous Old Bay Seasoning (which is awesome), also produces the French's brand of condiments, including an uninspired attempt to compete with Heinz in the ketchup realm.
If you didn't notice, my halftime hot dog in December was conspicuously ketchup-free. I'll pass on the French's ketchup.
But hear me out for a moment. I love that Baltimore won't serve Heinz ketchup. I love that they hate the Steelers and therefore hate Pittsburgh so much that they're willing to submit to a life of eating inferior ketchup simply out of spite.
Now that's a rivalry!
There is, however, one exception to my Heinz-only ketchup policy, and that is when I'm dining at one of my favorite fast food restaurants: Whataburger.
If you recall my trip to Los Angeles , you will know that I'm not a fan of In-n-Out. It's pretentious and focused on all the wrong things. It's fast food that's also trying to be health food. It has a secret menu that is stuff that no one would ever order if it was on a regular menu.
Whataburger is not that. It doesn't have any airs of being anything other than a greasy cheeseburger joint. It usually is both of those things. It's also open 24/7. I love it.
Whataburger patty melt, fries and ketchup. — Alan Saunders / Steelers Now
One of the things that might catch you off guard about Whataburger is that they serve their own brand of ketchup. This isn't a Heinz-in-a-different-label situation. They have their own recipe. You can buy it in grocery stores — at least in the areas where you can find the still-frustratingly-regional chain.
Their ketchup is the only non-Heinz ketchup I can ever remember consuming and thinking, "this isn't bad." They also have a spicy ketchup that is pretty unique, with a little kick that is right up my alley. I ask for extra of that.
Whataburger rules. It's not fancy, it doesn't try too hard to be cool, and that's what makes it special.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Saunders' Steelers Notes from the Road: Andy Weidl's Impact, Some Words About Ketchup (+)
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