Many Pittsburgh Steelers fans were unhappy when the team hired Mike McCarthy as its next head coach. They wanted a younger, fresher name. However, McCarthy’s introductory press conference won a lot of people over. A Pittsburgh native, it quickly became clear how much this job means to him. McCarthy has continued to say that he’s living his childhood dream, and it’s endearing to hear.
Yet analyst Gregg Rosenthal somehow sees McCarthy’s excitement as a red flag.
“He can’t believe how lucky he is to be the Steelers’ coach,” Rosenthal said recently on his NFL Daily podcast. “I don’t think it’s the greatest sign in the world. It is just so surreal to him. I don’t think he expected to get hired a third time, much less with the Steelers. I don’t know if I like that vibe.”
How is McCarthy supposed to feel? Should he be miserable? Not only is he coaching his hometown team, but he’s also now closer to his family. That’s usually enough to fill anyone with joy.
Also, the Steelers have plenty to be happy about right now. They’ve made some quality additions this offseason, and they’ve got a lot of draft capital. They won the AFC North last year, and their team should at least look better on paper going into this season.
It’s not like McCarthy has only talked about achieving his childhood dream either. He’s had plenty to say about football and what his expectations for the Steelers are. He wants to win games, and he’s been working hard to build the team up in order to do that.
There are reasons to criticize McCarthy. For example, he’s had almost as little playoff success over the last decade as the Steelers, only winning one postseason game since the 2017 season. That’s an actual concern, rather than having a problem with how happy he seems.
Maybe McCarthy won’t work out in Pittsburgh. Maybe he will. His connection to the city likely won’t have much to do with that, though. He’s been a head coach with two other NFL teams before, and he’s won a Super Bowl.
Art Rooney II doesn’t want the Steelers to rebuild. He still thinks they can compete for a Super Bowl. Right or wrong, McCarthy aligns with that vision. Him being from the city is just a nice cherry on top.