The Pittsburgh Steelers went against their own way of thinking when hiring Mike McCarthy.
Pittsburgh, which has only hired three different head coaches since 1969, has typically looked for first-time head coaches who have youth on their side and defensive backgrounds — finding success with the likes of Chuck Noll (37), Bill Cowher (35) and Mike Tomlin (35).
McCarthy goes against all of that, as he immediately becomes the franchise’s oldest head coach (62) after already finding success in that role with the Green Bay Packers (2006-2018) and Dallas Cowboys (2020-2024).
ESPN’s Ryan Clark discussed the move during an appearance on First Take on Monday.
“In one word, uninspiring. Also, I think they know that. The big thing with Mike McCarthy is he’s a proven winner,” Clark said. “The phrasing I heard was used when Mike Tomlin stepped away from the team, it was like mourning at a funeral. That’s the way people have categorized the mood in the building when he walked away. It was like losing a family member…
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“If you’re looking at a guy like Nate Scheelhaase from the Los Angeles Rams, Chris Shula, the defensive coordinator of the Rams, another young, up-and-coming coordinator like Mike Tomlin was, the amount of pressure that’s going to be on (McCarthy) when he steps to the microphone at any point. There was no Ben Johnson in this coaching cycle, that was this can’t-miss coach that should have had a head coaching job two years ago.”
It’ll remain to be seen whether that move ultimately makes sense, though it appears the franchise is looking to avoid rebuilding and wants to continue competing for playoff spots in the coming years.
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