The Pittsburgh Steelers have “verbally agreed” to hire Mike McCarthy as their next head coach. Check out the initial reactions from Baltimore Beatdown’s staff and add your thoughts in the comments. Also, check out our discussion thread on the AFC North shake-up!
The Steelers are in an abusive relationship with losing in the wild card round. They could have taken Mike Tomlin’s departure as an opportunity to reset with a young, exciting head coach who could weather a losing season or two as the front office tries to find a franchise quarterback.
Instead, they’re hiring 62-year-old Mike McCarthy, a good coach with a strong record who does not seem like he is going to break Pittsburgh’s current cycle. Like Tomlin, he might be too good. He can probably get the Steelers to the playoffs, but can he get them over the top without a QB? I don’t think so. But making the playoffs makes it difficult to land a true franchise quarterback. McCarthy has a reputation as a QB whisperer, but top prospects no longer fall into the back half of the first round like Aaron Rodgers did in 2005. I’m just not sure what the Steelers’ strategy or path forward is with this move. – Nikhil Mehta
t just feels…underwhelming? I don’t want to talk down on it too much because that’s how karma gets you. But I fail to see how this resets this organization and launches them into a new era of Steelers football, like the Ravens did with Minter. Tomlin to McCarthy feels like a lateral move but without Tomlin’s ability to maximize a defense and the voodoo magic the Steelers have had during Tomlin’s tenure. I wonder how much wanting to keep Rodgers influenced this as well. I don’t think they’ll Steelers get worse from this, but I don’t see how they get better without lucking into a franchise quarterback. Maybe McCarthy will be capable of orchestrating a tank for a top pick. But how would older vets like TJ Watt feel about that? – Zach Canter
I have to say I am bit disappointed by the Steelers deciding to hire Mike McCarthy as their next head coach instead of going for a young innovative option like the Ravens did. Two young coaches coming in at the same had the potential to restore a little bit of the juice that this storied rivalry has lost in recent years. McCarthy is a fine head coach and should have Pittsburgh competitive in the AFC North, but it is hard to view this move as anything but a downgrade from Mike Tomlin and his ability to elevate lackluster rosters each and every season. I assume that Aaron Rodgers will be returning now that his former Green Bay Packers head coach is here, but that fails to move the needle in any significant way. Rodgers will be another year older and, outside of facing Zach Orr defenses, was largely average last season. Pittsburgh had the chance for an organizational reset, but instead it feels like they have chosen to continue spinning their wheels in the mud for the time being. – Dustin Cox
Honestly, this feels like a best case scenario for the Ravens. The situation seemed primed for the Steelers to bring in their own young head coach that could elevate the ceiling for a team that hasn’t made it past the wild card round in over ten years. They did the opposite in hiring Mike McCarthy. McCarthy should figure to provide the Steelers with another high floor but as a fan, I would certainly be disappointed. It shows Pittsburgh’s leadership is more focused on putting a competitive team on the field vs. one that could advance deep in the postseason. I expect yet another 9-8 season next year from Pittsburgh. – Stephen Bopst
