Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Wednesday.
The Kickoff
The introductory press conference is over. The suits and ties can be removed and replaced with more comfortable team issued attire. In other words, it’s time to get down to the business of getting this franchise a playoff victory. Mike McCarthy did a tremendous job in what was clearly an emotional day for him. Flanked by Art Rooney II and Omar Khan, McCarthy handled the presser like an old pro. After all, he kinda is… He’s been there before and he’s also been here before. “Here” is getting to work on bringing glory back to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He continued what Mike Holmgren started in Green Bay and he faced a bit of a reclamation project in Dallas so those experiences will be vital to him. But now comes the work of building a staff and not falling behind on the scouting that is well underway at the Senior Bowl and beyond. He says he’s ready for it and we’re about to find out.
Belichick
I would be remiss if I didn’t chime in on Bill Belichick being snubbed in year one of Hall of Fame eligibility. I believe him to be a very good football coach who deserves to be in the Hall. I also believe him to have cheated the game. While I believe ‘Deflategate’ was more punitive of Tom Brady and was largely overblown, ‘Spygate’ was not. This was a concerted effort to gain an unfair advantage over opponents. Ask Roger Goodell why the tapes that reportedly contained all the evidence needed, were destroyed. I would suggest reading this if you aren’t overly familiar.
Staff Rumors
At this writing, the Steelers are reportedly interested in Patrick Graham, Jason Simmons and Al Harris for their Defensive Coordinator position. The two names I’ve seen floated for the Offensive Coordinator spot are Alex Van Pelt and Scott Tolzien. That position obviously carries less significance with McCarthy calling plays. I was interested in his comments yesterday about finding some younger coaches with energy and grind. I think that’s a really good thing right now for this team.
Expect the Unexpected
Last year I would say its safe to assume that most of us didn’t see the trade for D.K. Metcalf coming. I think that’s going to be a harbinger of things to come for this Offseason. In other words, do not be shocked if you see players you never dreamed of being traded, actually being traded. Don’t be shocked if you see guys released that you never dreamed would be released. And don’t be surprised if you see guys signed in free agency that you never saw coming. Mike McCarthy is similar to Mike Tomlin in a lot of ways – playoff record, Super Bowl wins, postseason futility – but he is also his own man. His hiring doesn’t bring the change I hoped we would see when Tomlin stepped down, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some significant change.
Random Reads
The latest edition of the SCB Steelers Podcast presented by DEK Roofing Inc airs Thursday night at 10pmET. We’ve had tremendous audiences the last few weeks and lots of engagement! Check us out… The Browns have finally found someone willing to be their head coach as Todd Monken gets his first gig at 60 years of age… A recent article at The Athletic asks, “Do players hide concussions when they got into the blue tent?” Gee, what do you think??? The Winter Olympics start next week and I can’t recall seeing less fanfare for an Olympic Games… There’s some talk about some countries boycotting the World Cup this summer due to the current administration’s behavior. I’m curious to see how that would go over… A recent mock draft got a lot of attention on line when it suggested the Steelers would trade Nick Herbig to Dallas. I can’t see the Steelers trading away young pass rush talent. They did that once with Chad Brown and that backfired big time.
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