The hiring of Mike McCarthy broke a traditional pattern in which the Pittsburgh Steelers had followed for several decades in selecting their head coaches. Since 1969, the franchise had opted for first-time head coaches, who went on to spend several successful years in charge.
Stephen A. Smith reacted to McCarthy’s hiring in his appearance on “First Take” on Monday. The ESPN analyst wasn’t impressed with the Steelers’ decision to break a traditional pattern that has worked for the franchise over several decades and hire a veteran coach.
“My problem is that, when I look at the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers, clearly, when you had Chuck Noll, who was there for many years, and you hired him at the age of 37,” Smith said. “You found Bill Cowher out of nowhere. You hired him at the age of 35.
“You find Mike Tomlin out of nowhere … and then all of a sudden, you get this guy … Chuck Noll was there for 23 years, and Cowher was there for 15 years, and Tomlin was there for 19 years. And what route do you go now? You go with a 62-year-old.”
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The three coaches who have been in charge of the franchise since 1969 won six Super Bowls among them. Chuck Noll won four, while Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin won one each. Mike McCarthy is already a Super Bowl winner with the Green Bay Packers, winning it against the Steelers in 2011.
Stephen A. Smith cites the Steelers’ quarterback situation as a flaw in Mike McCarthy’s hiring
It remains unknown whether Aaron Rodgers, who previously worked with Mike McCarthy during his days with the Packers, will return next season. Stephen A. Smith believes McCarthy isn’t an exciting coach option, considering how the relationship between the two ended in Green Bay.
“It’s nothing to be excited about, to be quite honest with you, especially when you’re still looking for your quarterback,” Smith said. “McCarthy inherited Favre. You can credit him with helping develop Aaron Rodgers.
“But remember, that relationship proved to be, at the tail end of it, almost toxic to the point where Aaron Rodgers was changing calls at the line of scrimmage. He was calling stuff low IQ, according to the reports, in terms of the play calling that was being given to him by Mike McCarthy.”
The Steelers quarterback situation has a lot of question marks heading into next season. A decision is yet to be made on both ends about a return for Aaron Rodgers. While Will Howard is considered the quarterback of the future in some quarters, there’s little confidence in his readiness.
