Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher addressed the possibility of Mike McCarthy landing his old job.
The Steelers are in the unfamiliar position of pursuing a new head coach after Mike Tomlin stepped down. He ended a 19-year run as the successor to Cowher, who won 149 games and a Super Bowl during his 15 seasons.
Pittsburgh conducted an in-person interview with McCarthy on Wednesday. Two days later, Cowher discussed a conversation with the prominent candidate on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I actually talked to Mike yesterday. He just talked about how surreal it was for him,” Cowher recalled. “He grew up in Greenfield, and he went into the facility for the first time, which they share with Pitt. Just being in that building, I remember when I was there for the first time. There’s a mystique about that building.”
Cowher called Pittsburgh a “special place” to coach when explaining what else makes it such a desirable position.
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“It’s a unique place,” Cowher added. “I think that’s the biggest thing I would say. There’s total transparency, total collaboration. And I think it’s a great place to grow your resume, whatever it may be. Whether it’s from the beginning or, if Mike happens to go back there, I think it’d almost be like a full-circle moment coming back home.”
Neither Cowher nor Tomlin had worked as an NFL head coach before joining the Steelers. The organization could pivot from that approach with McCarthy, a Super Bowl champion who made 12 playoff appearances in 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys.
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