Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers yells during the first half this past Thursday’s game the Cleveland Browns. Those watching the broadcast saw several animated, emotional outbursts by Steelers players during the game. (AP)
During the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most recent game, the Prime Network broadcast on more than one occasion caught players with animated – and, by appearances, agitated – words for their highest-ranking coaches.
That’s OK, head coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said.
“I’d much rather have too much energy,” McCarthy said, “than not enough.”
Said Graham, about a half hour later: “Nobody’s sensitive here. We deal with conflict head-on.”
McCarthy and his coordinators held their regular weekly news conferences Monday, four days after a 27-24 loss at the Cleveland Browns in which a frustrated quarterback Aaron Rodgers was seen screaming – and using a profanity – toward McCarthy. Later in the game, viewers saw Steelers star outside linebacker T.J. Watt request a headset from the sidelines for an apparent opportunity to speak to Graham. And then longtime defensive captain Cameron Heyward was shown yelling at teammates on the sideline.
In discussing the incidents involving the defensive players, McCarthy first cautioned that outsiders’ interpretation of the sequences of events might not match the reality of them.
“I think you’ve also got to remember (that) things don’t always look the way they really are,” McCarthy said.
But the veteran NFL head coach – in his first year with the Steelers – also allowed that the emotional outbursts “are opportunities for growth.”
In regards to his publicized spat with Rodgers, who was upset with the pace in which he was getting play calls in – causing McCarthy to mutter a derisive name in reference to Rodgers – McCarthy said of such interactions, “I wouldn’t classify it as normal.
“But the reality of it, is it’s a 20-year relationship,” added the 62-year-old McCarthy, who was Rodgers’ head coach with the Green Bay Packers from 2006-2018. “I think the fact that we were able to sit and talk numerous times over the weekend about that and a number of things.
“But… I’m getting to grandfather age. I don’t want to be saying those type of (curse) words. But it’s an emotional, competitive environment. But, yeah, I think it’s something that we can definitely learn from.”
“I’m getting closer to grandfather’s age - I don’t wanna be saying those words.” —Mike McCarthy on his on-camera bigger interaction with Aaron Rodgers on Thursday https://t.co/bVjIIAHAxs
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) October 5, 2026
For his part, Graham likewise embraced the “great learning experience” borne out of the emotions exhibited amidst the heat of a primetime divisional rivalry game.
“Whether it’s the time we spend with them down in the cafeteria, the time we spend doing team-building and bonding, it’s so we can have conversations and nobody is sensitive when stuff comes up,” Graham said. “(If someone) put the camera on me, trust me, I don’t want my parents to hear me, but trust me, I say a lot of stuff.”
Moments later, Graham chuckled.
“My parents are ministers. I get in trouble all the time.”
About the Writer
Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.