Mike McCarthy is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ new head coach, but he’ll have different responsibilities than Mike Tomlin. For example, he’ll also be calling offensive plays. a recent weakness for the Steelers. But there’s hope that McCarthy can help turn things around. However, he’s not coming in and totally overhauling the offense.
“On offense, I end up keeping more of the terminology and the language of the past,” McCarthy said Monday on The Pat McAfee Show. “I am conscientious, you’ve been through that, you don’t want to make it totally brand new if you don’t have to…
“On defense, that system’s been there since 1992… We don’t want to just tear it all down and call yellow blue when it’s been yellow since 1992. At the end of the day, it’s about communication and connection.”
McCarthy previously mentioned he doesn’t plan on changing the Steelers’ defensive language, and here, he confirms the same will be true on offense. Sometimes, new head coaches will come in and change everything to leave their mark. However, McCarthy is a veteran who’s been through this process before. He knows what’s best for players.
That doesn’t mean he’ll run the same scheme. The Steelers’ offense should look different under McCarthy. However, he’s trying to find a middle ground to help returning players adjust better. Learning a new offense isn’t easy.
Luckily, McCarthy has signed some players he has experience with: Rico Dowdle and Brock Hoffman. They should help bridge the gap between their new teammates and the head coach.
Also, the Steelers could re-sign Aaron Rodgers. He played in McCarthy’s offense from 2006-2018, so he shouldn’t need to learn too much if he’s the team’s starting quarterback. Rodgers playing in that system again should be like riding a bike. His presence would also help the transition.
Come Week 1, fans will see how different McCarthy’s Steelers look compared to Tomlin’s. Their offense desperately needed more juice, and hopefully, McCarthy brings that. While his offense has been in the NFL for years, it has shown that it can still succeed.
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