McCarthy practice
McCarthy practice
It’s early in the week, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have a real game to prepare for Sunday, and the install is already underway. It’s Mike McCarthy’s first game week with his new team, and while there’s still plenty of time to clean things up, Monday’s practice didn’t quite meet his expectations.
“We got a jump-start on the install. First and second down was the emphasis today,” McCarthy said Monday via the team’s YouTube. “It wasn’t as clean as I [would have] liked it.”
Every coach handles installs differently, but generally, each day builds off the next. If Monday’s emphasis is first and second down, for example, the team might continue refining those concepts while adding third-down situations Wednesday before turning more heavily toward situational football later in the week.
Having a good foundation for the week is critical so teams don’t waste valuable practice time going over things they already installed the previous day. A sloppy practice can force a choice between going back over those early-down concepts at the expense of the third-down install or moving forward with a shaky foundation.
A veteran head coach like McCarthy has high expectations for what a week of practice should look like. That’s especially the case for one of NFL’s the oldest starting rosters.
It’s expected, to some extent, for a new coaching staff to experience growing pains in a new organization. But what happens when those growing pains result in an unprepared team against a very beatable Atlanta Falcons team?
At least some of the issues can likely be attributed to the starting offense having a lack of playing time together throughout training camp and the preseason. Zach Frazier is the only offensive lineman playing the same position he did a year ago for the Steelers, and Pittsburgh hasn’t even named a starting right tackle yet.
Starting WRs Michael Pittman Jr. and DK Metcalf also missed plenty of practice time over the last several weeks.
One sloppy practice is nothing to be concerned about yet, but it’s worth keeping an eye on if the Steelers come out flat in the regular season opener on Sunday.