The Pittsburgh Steelers are at a crossroads with their two most important positions.
For the first time in nearly 20 years, they are searching for a new head coach following Mike Tomlin’s shocking resignation. They have been linked to several candidates, including former Super Bowl champion Mike McCarthy.
The Steelers are also weighing what to do at quarterback. Do they bring back a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers, who just led them to the playoffs and won a Super Bowl with McCarthy?
Bringing back Rodgers would provide some continuity for the offense. On the other hand, Pittsburgh has a chance for a much-needed fresh start.
ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky believes the Steelers should avoid a McCarthy-Rodgers reunion at all costs.
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“Hiring Mike McCarthy and bringing Aaron [Rodgers] back would be the worst decision Pittsburgh could make,” Orlovsky said on Thursday’s episode of “Get Up.” “The worst…What are we doing, Pittsburgh?…That would be a disastrous thing to do for your future.”
Orlovsky conceded that although McCarthy and Rodgers are great and accomplished, they would put the Steelers in the same position next season: good enough to win in the regular season and potentially make the playoffs, but not good enough to win in the postseason.
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Pittsburgh needs a long-term solution at quarterback, even if that means taking a season to get one. The Steelers also need a younger, more innovative head coach, not an old retread like McCarthy.
Rodgers and McCarthy are simply too old for a Pittsburgh team that desperately needs to get younger and infuse some fresh blood. The franchise needs a reset, not more of the same, if it wants to win a playoff game for the first time in nearly a decade.
Otherwise, the Steelers are doomed to remain mired in slightly above average mediocrity.
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