A rainout sans rain to close training camp didn’t help Mike McCarthy, but he is setting the Steelers’ agenda moving into their next preseason game. Coming off their final installation period, he wanted to see how the team responded the next day. That will have to wait but following a 28-9 win in the Steelers’ preseason opener, he has some ideas as to the necessary next steps for his football team.
“I felt really good coming off the field [Sunday]. The intensity’s where it needed to be”, McCarthy said, via the Steelers’ website. “I just want to get that work on Wednesday in the can and then I’ll make it clear what the next step is that we’re looking to take as a football team”.
While the Steelers looked like the better team during most of their first preseason game, there was still plenty that needs cleaned up. Not even just penalties, even if that is the obvious issue that jumps out. Based on that alone, McCarthy provided an outline on where they must go from here.
“We talked about establishing the play style, the Steeler way”, he said. “I thought our guys took that to the field last week, but now we need more discipline with it. That will definitely be part of the message. You have that many personal fouls, you can’t win a game with that type of performance in the area of penalties. That’ll be part of the message as we go into the game Friday”.
Preseason wins don’t translate into regular-season wins, and McCarthy’s Steelers are certainly not going to get ahead of themselves if their backups beat other teams’ backups. After all, plenty of their own starters didn’t play, as with Green Bay. From the starting offense alone, they were absent Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Jaylen Warren, and Rico Dowdle. Partially due to injury, the defense also lacked half of its starters.
Not that the backups can play to a lower standard. Especially when it comes to unforced errors, there is no excuse for making mistakes. Certainly not for making them twice. And with how much Mike McCarthy has stressed details, the Steelers’ lack of polish in their preseason opener was concerning. More for him than even those on the outside, I’m sure.
There are natural growing pains associated with a team changing head coaches, as the Steelers did this offseason. Rookies, like Germie Bernard, are also prone to making mistakes. Then there is somebody like Troy Fautanu, flipping from the right side to the left side. That can also come with an adjustment period. Even with all these things considered, they were still too sloppy. And going into the next preseason game, that has to change.
Perhaps with the Steelers breaking camp and having completed the installation process, some of that will occur naturally in time for the remainder of the preseason. If not, that just means there is more work for Mike McCarthy to do before the regular season begins.