When the Pittsburgh Steelers seemingly went off script and hired the 62-year-old Mike McCarthy as the 17th head coach in franchise history, rather than going with a young, up-and-coming coordinator like they had done with Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin, it sent shockwaves throughout the NFL.
It’s a feel-good story with the Pittsburgh native in McCarthy landing the head coaching job with his childhood team. But there are concerns about the hiring. McCarthy hasn’t been able to get over the hump in the playoffs in recent years, and the Steelers are an aging team with no direction at quarterback and a defense full of high-priced players who have underperformed.
For former Steelers running back and current analyst Merril Hoge though, who appeared on the 102.5 WDVE Morning Show Wednesday, the hiring makes all the sense in the world.
And is one he loves,
“Listen, Bill Cowher inherited a playoff team when he got it. Mike Tomlin inherited a Super Bowl team. Mike McCarthy’s inheriting a team that’s just not stable. You need somebody that can create some stability,” Hoge said of the Wednesday on the 102.5 WDVE Morning Show, according to audio via 102.5 WDVE. “We don’t have a quarterback, we were inconsistent there. And I think he’s the perfect guy to create stability and find and build a guy that can be a future quarterback and some stability there. Not just there, but from an offensive perspective, I just think he brings a lot of things that we need and we haven’t seen.
“And he’s building a staff that understands that stuff too, on both sides of the ball. So, I think it’s absolutely the right hire and I think that there’s great energy about it in the building, and that’s all that matters.”
The Steelers certainly haven’t had stability at quarterback following Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. Since 2022, the Steelers have rolled through Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers.
The Steelers went to the playoffs multiple times with those quarterbacks under Tomlin, but there was never stability, especially long-term.
McCarthy has had a lot of success in developing quarterbacks. Aaron Brooks, Alex Smith, Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott had some success to varying degrees while he oversaw them.
Now, he inherits former sixth-round pick Will Howard and also could reunite with Rodgers for another season in Pittsburgh. But the onus will be on McCarthy helping identify and developing a franchise QB for the Steelers.
“I just know Mike has great history, and I got a lot of people that he trusts and will build what he’s looking to build. And you gotta trust that,” Hoge said. “And I’ve always liked him. I’ve also admired him from a distance. I’ve got to know him over time, too, in different venues, and I know he’s excited and Steelers fans should be excited, ’cause there’ll be a lot of changes and there’s a lot of energy.”
Players are excited, and fans seem to be coming around on the hiring. It was clear just how excited McCarthy was to land the job, and what it means to him during his introductory press conference. That resonated with the fan base and the players returning under him.
Now, it’s about finding success on the field and creating that stability, on offense and at the QB position.
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