I should have known better. When Mike McCarthy first interviewed with the Pittsburgh Steelers I looked at it as the team and some old friends doing him a solid. After all, he goes back two decades with Omar Khan and Andy Weidl. Being a Pittsburgh native also seemed to make sense, so sure, give him an interview and maybe someone else gets interested in him. Little did we know that Art Rooney II and Khan actually had sights set on him being the next head coach of the Black and Gold.
As we detailed on a Special Edition of the SCB Steelers Podcast, this was not something any of us wanted to see happen. Mike McCarthy is a good man and a good football coach but his hiring flies in the face of what the Steelers have done over the last 50 years. And that’s exactly why I’m so frustrated and reluctant about this hiring. With the former Packers and Cowboys’ coach coming aboard, there are three specific questions I have moving forward.
What Happens to the Current Coordinators?
Most fans ware well aware of the fact that Art Rooney II doesn’t like to pay coaches who don’t work for him. It likely took a pair of industrial pliers to get him to fire Matt Canada mid-season a couple of years back. Both Arthur Smith and Teryl Austin have one year remaining on their current contracts. Austin has had little interest from around the league while Smith has had a few interviews for open head coaching positions.
McCarthy has always called his own plays which suggests that Smith probably won’t want to stay on given that fact. Stranger things have happened however. In terms of Austin, his job would feel safer given that McCarthy will be so focused on the offensive side of the ball. I think it’s also safe to assume that this was a significant talking point between ARII, Khan and McCarthy. Keeping one or both guys would be a monetary win for the typically cheap Rooney.
UPDATE: Per Adam Schefter, Arthur Smith has agreed to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State. No, that’s not a joke.
What of the QB Situation?
There seems to be this idea that Aaron Rodgers will be more inclined to return to the Steelers with McCarthy the head coach and play caller. Considering Rodgers helped push out McCarthy in Green Bay, that makes little sense to me. Take into account that the roster overhaul is likely to be huge and I don’t think that’s very appealing to the 42-year old Rodgers.
Assuming it isn’t going to be Rodgers, then who do you bring in? I can’t see McCarthy, who has had Rodgers, Brett Favre and Dak Prescott as his QBs, going with Mason Rudolph or Will Howard. Does he make a push for Mac Jones who improved so much under Kyle Shanahan? Does he go for a more mobile guy like Malik Willis? For all any of us know, maybe they think something can become of Howard. I can tell you this; I don’t see the Steelers drafting their “QB of the future” in the upcoming Draft.
Why Did They Decide to Go in Such a Different Direction?
When Mike Tomlin stepped down over a week ago, it felt like the Steelers were in a perfect situation. It felt very much like a chance at a true “reset” where a young new coach could mold and build his team and staff. Yes there would be some growing pains but the payoff seemed worth it. Whether Chris Shula or Nate Scheelhaase or Anthony Weaver, it seemed like the perfect time to start over.
Clearly Art Rooney II and Omar Khan decided on something very different. At 62 years old, McCarthy is 25-30 years older than the three men who came before him at the time of their first seasons in Pittsburgh. I suppose there will be comments as to “why” when McCarthy is introduced later this coming week and whether we get honest answers or not I can’t say. It feels very much to me like this hire was almost made out of concern that a young coach wouldn’t be able the transition that’s coming.
In other words, the upper management of the franchise lived in their fears and that’s why they went the “safe” route.
