Pittsburgh Steelers / NFL
McCarthy must hit ground running once he officially is introduced Tuesday
The Pittsburgh Steelers completed their coaching search in less than two weeks, but now newly hired head coach Mike McCarthy has decisions to make and trips to take. The Steelers officially will introduce McCarthy with a news conference at 2 p.m. Tuesday, but he probably won’t have much time to...
Joe Starkey’s Cup of Joe: Patriots went from great to bad to great again while Steelers stayed the same
CUP OF JOE: Starkey on sports in 350 words or less. I wonder if New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft looks at 2023 as a wasted year. I’m guessing not. It got him back to the Super Bowl. There are many reasons why the Patriots are in position to win...
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Madden Monday: Some quiet, underlying reasons why Mike McCarthy got hired
On the topic of the Pittsburgh Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy to be their new head coach, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X shared an opinion similar to one that I advanced on Sunday. The gripe is more about the process than the person. “I don’t get why they...
First Call: Mike McCarthy ‘very intrigued’ by Will Howard; predictions for Steelers’ coaching staff hires
Monday’s “First Call” has Bill Cowher’s endorsement of Mike McCarthy being hired as the Pittsburgh Steelers new head coach. Will Howard appears to be an early favorite of McCarthy on the Steelers’ quarterback depth chart. There are rumblings about who might round out McCarthy’s coaching staff. And the Cleveland Browns...
‘They’re going to love Coach Mike’: Art Rooney II believes Steelers fans will come around on McCarthy
For a likely future Hall of Fame coach who has won a Super Bowl and has never been shy about showing his pride for being from Pittsburgh, Mike McCarthy has not exactly enthused Pittsburgh Steelers fans in the wake of his hiring by the team. Steelers president Art Rooney II,...
Art Rooney II: Track record, QB-development skills led Steelers to hire Mike McCarthy
As the Pittsburgh Steelers’ search for a worthy successor to Ben Roethlisberger approaches its second half-decade, Art Rooney II acknowledged that the team’s choice of its next head coach was highly influenced by the ability of that man to develop the Steelers’ next franchise quarterback. Speaking to the team’s official...
Mike McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers share complex relationship starting with NFL Draft snub
Fifteen years after Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy won a Super Bowl together, the quarterback and coach could reunite in Pittsburgh. Their reunion became an option once the Steelers decided Saturday to hire McCarthy as head coach, drawing speculation that the 42-year-old Rodgers might return for another season. But Steelers...
Tim Benz: Hiring Mike McCarthy a tone-deaf, uninspired move by Steelers
The Steelers’ decision to hire Mike McCarthy as the franchise’s new head coach is every bit as uninspired as it is tone-deaf. Those are two of the nicest phrases I can use to describe it. Owner Art Rooney II and general manager Omar Khan couldn’t have waited until after Sunday’s...
Joe Starkey’s Cup of Joe: Mike McCarthy has some interesting pieces — is Will Howard one?
I’ll say this: Mike McCarthy as de facto offensive coordinator is an upgrade on Arthur Smith. Artie’s off to Ohio State. Maybe Jonnu Smith has eligibility and could help invigorate the Buckeyes’ tight-end run game. Mike Tomlin never got the offense right in his later years. He went from his...
With choice of Mike McCarthy, 62, Steelers eschew longtime approach of young coaches
The new Pittsburgh Steelers coach isn’t all that young. His background isn’t in defense. And he already had been a head coach — for a long time, for two other franchises — before. That, on face value, goes against everything we know about the Steelers’ tendencies when it comes to...
‘Beside ourselves with joy’: Longtime friends thrilled Mike McCarthy is coming home to Steelers
Tim Butler was disappointed he had missed the brief window to meet up with his childhood friend while he was back in town. Turns out, their families will have plenty more opportunities to break bread. Mike McCarthy is coming back to the ’Burgh — and the Greenfield native is doing...
Arthur Smith reportedly heading to Ohio State as offensive coordinator
Arthur Smith is going back to school. The former Steelers offensive coordinator is finalizing a deal to take the same position at Ohio State, according to ESPN and NFL Network. Smith, 43, spent the past two seasons overseeing the Steelers’ offense under coach Mike Tomlin. His unit was ranked 16th...
Steelers hire Greenfield native Mike McCarthy as head coach
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback quandary is now a problem for new coach Mike McCarthy to solve. The Steelers announced Saturday that they’d verbally agreed to hire McCarthy as head coach, choosing a one-time Super Bowl champion with a reputation for developing young quarterbacks. The 62-year-old Greenfield native was the most...
Mark Madden: By hiring Mike McCarthy, the Steelers have lowered organizational goals
Boy, is Art Rooney II desperate to win a playoff game. He should be. By the standard of the family business, Rooney’s tenure as its steward has been disappointing in every way beyond profit. (The Steelers are too big to really fail. Lucky for Rooney.) Now, in an effort to...
Joe Starkey: With Mike McCarthy, the Steelers are basically rehiring Mike Tomlin. Thanks, Art
STARK RAVING Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II said he was willing to run it back another year with Mike Tomlin, and so he shall. Mike McCarthy is Tomlin. Tomlin is McCarthy. Finkle is Einhorn. Einhorn is Finkle. I can see it now: The Steelers go 9-8 next season with...
‘Greenfield’s going to celebrate’: Hometown beams as Mike McCarthy takes over Steelers
As the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday afternoon prepared to crown Mike McCarthy their new head coach, Greenfield — the predominantly working-class community in the city’s East End where the coach grew up — glowed with “local boy makes good” narratives. “I’m an admitted fair-weather fan — but I know him...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Same as it ever was for Pirates, Steelers
It’s the time of the season for horse manure, to paraphrase The Zombies. Pirates players who braved the threat of severe winter weather to get to Saturday’s PiratesFest talked about having a different attitude. (Ex-Buc Dale Berra canceled his return when he found out it wasn’t that kind of blizzard.)...
Tim Benz: A tweak to the Mike McCarthy conversation
Editor’s note: This column was originally posted Jan. 23, a day before news broke the Pittsburgh Steelers were hiring Mike McCarthy as their next head coach. It would just be more “Mediocre Mike.” Except it would be a different Mike. That’s been the most common reaction to the notion of...
