Mike McCarthy wasn’t everyone’s first choice to become the Pittsburgh Steelers’ next head coach. He isn’t a young up-and-coming name, and he’s only won one playoff game since 2017. However, he’s had success as an NFL head coach, including winning a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers. Former NFL offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse, who played for McCarthy from 2010-2013, thinks that the Steelers made a good decision.

“I like the hire a lot,” Newhouse said recently on the Wisco Sports Show with Grant Bilse. “I understand that the Steelers are a different kind of organization and Mike has a lot of ties there, but it just feels right.

“It comes down to how much has he progressed as a coach and a leader of an organization. A lot of us had a mini reunion for the Super Bowl team in Green Bay in Week 1 against Detroit. I got to talk to Mike and he still had the itch, you could tell. He was still locked in, was still evaluating.”

McCarthy was out of the NFL last year, and he said that he spent much of that time with his family. However, as Newhouse explains, he still had an eye on the league.

This isn’t the first time McCarthy has returned to coaching after taking a year off. He did the same thing in 2019, right after the Green Bay Packers fired him. Then, the Dallas Cowboys hired McCarthy as their head coach in 2020. While he went 6-10 in his first year there, that was mostly due to injuries. Once the Cowboys were healthy, McCarthy led them to three straight 12-5 seasons.

Perhaps he’ll have similar success with the Steelers. However, ownership is hoping that McCarthy can help the Steelers win playoff games. That’s been their biggest problem over the last decade.

Newhouse explained why the Steelers were right to hire McCarthy.

“He’s authentic. I think players respond to that. He respects your agency as a grown man. Obviously, rookies are rookies, and if you’re young, you’ve got to earn your place,” Newhouse said. “But when you become a veteran, a guy who he can trust, there’s a lot of mutual respect there.”

That sounds like Mike Tomlin. One of the things his players praised him most for was his authenticity. He didn’t beat around the bush. That should help the team transition from Tomlin to McCarthy. Players had a lot of respect for Tomlin, and if McCarthy treats them similarly that should help the two sides connect.

Still, players liking Tomlin wasn’t enough for the Steelers to win in the postseason. McCarthy has other qualities that should separate him from the Steelers’ former head coach, though. The most notable one is his background. McCarthy’s expertise is on the offensive side of the ball, while Tomlin was a defensive coach.

Therefore, McCarthy might be able to improve the Steelers’ offense. That unit hasn’t been good enough for years, and it’s been one of the team’s biggest issues. McCarthy wasn’t the most exciting coach on the market, but he also wasn’t the worst option for the Steelers, especially considering the direction they want to go.