Steelers' Mike McCarthy Admits To Working Extra Hard On This 1 Thing Since He Was Hired

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been expecting a lot of changes to be made with the team ever since they hired Mike McCarthy to be the head coach. So far, things have been very different on multiple fronts with this new regime, from drills in practice, to evaluating certain positions, to how McCarthy works with different players. There seems to be nothing but change happening with how he works with his team, and it seems to be something that everyone is getting used to and buying into -- which he desperately needs to lead Pittsburgh on a deep playoff run. 

A lot of those changes are expected to happen on defense as well. During a recent pre-practice press conference, McCarthy spoke about a big change that he has been working on ever since he put pen to paper on a contract to work in Pittsburgh.

"You don't draw up schemes as the season gets going; these are things that we have been working on since January," McCarthy said. "We're excited to get Nick [Herbig's contract extension] done, because he's part of some of the new things we're doing moving forward, and so you got to find ways to play everybody. This is not an 11-man operation on offense, defense, or special teams. We want everyone to play."

While McCarthy has been working on different schemes, one of his big focuses was finding a way to get edge rusher Nick Herbig on the field more often, despite the lack of seniority he has in this stacked position group. There is no question that he deserves it, and the Steelers definitely agree. That's why they gave him a nine-figure contract extension during mandatory minicamp in early June. 

The only time Herbig saw significant snap counts in a game was when one of the starters was injured, and that was if he wasn't injured as well. Despite his limited time on the field, he still racked up 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, an interception, and a fumble recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. He also had three passes defended to go with 30 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 18 quarterback hits, showing that he can do it all.

The verdict is very clear: the Steelers have to find a way to get Herbig on the field more consistently, whether everyone is healthy or not. He is a little ball of energy that can't be contained in one-on-one matchups. McCarthy knows this; the front office knows this. There has been a ton of work being done on how they can get him on the field to keep wreaking havoc all season long.

Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham has developed a reputation for being insanely flexible and finding the best schemes for his players. He has been a big part of getting this defense back on track. While his unit is expected to be less flashy than previous units in Pittsburgh, having Herbig on the field should still lead to plenty of splash plays that make highlight reels on a regular basis. 

The Steelers Are Built Perfectly For Herbig To Ruin Opposing Gameplans

With TJ Watt lining up on the opposite side, opposing offensive coordinators are worried about him ruining everything like he has in years past, so they always make sure to get at least two players on him at once. That kind of focus allows Herbig to get a one-on-one matchup on the other side. These big linemen can't handle his hard bend and explosive move on a consistent basis, so he runs right by them better than literally anyone else in the NFL. 

What do you think about McCarthy working on getting Herbig on the field ever since he was hired back in late January? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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