Cam Heyward was stunned when Mike Tomlin resigned as the Pittsburgh Steelers coach, a decision that now leaves him navigating the first coaching change of his 15-year career.
The 36-year-old defensive captain said he’d grown used to stability and didn’t believe the season would end with Tomlin’s exit.
“I think that’s what’s very shocking for me, that I didn’t pick up that it was going to lead to that,” Heyward said Tuesday on “The SiriusXM Blitz” with Bruce Murray and Rich Gannon.
“But we’ll see,” Heyward added. “I think Mr. McCarthy does a hell of a job in preparing an offense. He’s won a Super Bowl, and I have a lot of respect for that.”
Heyward said he’d already spoken with newly hired coach Mike McCarthy, who won a Super Bowl with Green Bay in 2011. The Packers defeated the Steelers in the title game that year, one season before Heyward’s rookie year.
He faced a McCarthy-coached team four times in his career, twice each vs. Green Bay and Dallas.
“I had a respect for him even before he was the (Steelers) coach,” said Heyward, adding that McCarthy’s brother had lived across the street from him. “I have always admired him from afar, and Aaron (Rodgers) has talked great about him over his time here. So, I’ve gotten to see tidbits of what Mike McCarthy is about.”
At his introductory press conference, McCarthy revealed that the defense would stay much the same, building on the 3-4 tradition that the Steelers adopted under Bill Cowher. But the team will have a new coach running the defense. McCarthy last week hired Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk with (Graham) yet,” Heyward said. “I think they’re still really trying to get this staff in order. But talking to coach McCarthy, I got a sense that he really loves Pittsburgh. He’s excited to come, and I think he’s been hellbent on getting this staff in place first before he’s going after the players.”
Graham, 47, spent the past four seasons as the Raiders’ defensive coordinator and previously held that job title with the Giants and Dolphins.
“I’ve heard really good things about Patrick Graham,” Heyward said. “I’ve had some teammates that have been coached by him. They rave about him. It’ll be interesting to see what happens going forward.”
Heyward, who has one year remaining on his contract, has played only for Tomlin in his NFL career. He described Tomlin’s resignation after 19 seasons as emotional for him.
“There was an honesty there that I developed with Coach T,” he said. “It wasn’t sugarcoating. It was very straight to the point, blunt of what we need week in and week out. … I loved having a coach that held me accountable but also got the best out of me.”
Tomlin’s exit followed fans at Acrisure Stadium chanting for him to be fired, first during a regular season loss to the Bills and later in a lopsided playoff loss to the Texans. The postseason loss extended the team’s streak to seven.
“I felt like as players you have to own (the chants) because the coach can’t really do anything about it,” Heyward said. “When you’re saying fire him, that’s a reflection on me. Obviously, we were able to turn it around to an extent, but you never want to feel like your head coach was at the chopping block.”
Heyward acknowledged that the AFC North has a different look without Tomlin and longtime Ravens coach John Harbaugh. He said he’d recently watched an NFL Network replay of their first game against one another.
“These dudes have been here, and they looked like babies in those pictures,” he said. “It’s definitely weird to see those guys in two changes of scenery.”
This also is unfamiliar territory for Heyward.
“I’m used to stability, so this has been a little different for me,” he said. “That last week (of the season) was a lot of emotion and I’m still trying to process it.”
