Steelers' Mike McCarthy Warned To Not Make The Mistake A Rookie Mike Tomlin Did In 2007

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the more unique franchises in the NFL when it comes to coaching decisions. They typically do not fire head coaches, having only three in over half a century. Being the head coach of the Steelers is debatably the most secure job in the NFL, which was never more evident than when Mike Tomlin went nine years without a playoff win. Rather than moving on, Tomlin decided to go out on his own terms, stepping down following the 2025 season. Now the Steelers have Mike McCarthy leading the charge. He's an uncharacteristic hire by the franchise, but potentially a good one. 

Being the head coach of the Steelers is a dream come true for McCarthy, as he is a fellow Yinzer. He is joining his sixth NFL franchise, third as the head coach, and he has seen everything there is to see. While he has more experience than most NFL coaches, he is joining an established group of veterans who have known nothing but Tomlin. He will have to win over veterans such as TJ Watt, Cam Heyward, Alex Highsmith, and other long-tenured Steelers. 

Former Steelers Super Bowl champion Trai Essex recently appeared on an episode of his show, The Snap Count, with his co-host, Charlie Batch, to discuss McCarthy coming into an established culture. Essex says that McCarthy must establish himself as the head coach and mark his territory, similar to how Tomlin did when he took over for Hall of Famer Bill Cowher. 

"You know, as a first-year coach, you gotta kinda mark your territory," Essex stated. "We said the same thing with Tomlin. You gotta come in and kinda, you know, say this is my spot. This isn't Coach Cowher's spot, this isn't Coach Tomlin's spot. I know he was here for 19 years. So I gotta come in and force my way in, and sometimes they do that in the worst ways, and that's making you run a hard conditioning test." 

Tomlin was the Steelers' coach for 19 years, and in that span, he never had a losing season. Tomlin gained respect year after year and became one of the most beloved coaches in the entire NFL. Before he had that respect, he took over for Cowher, who had won a Super Bowl just two years prior. One thing Tomlin did when he came in was change the intensity of practice, making players practice much harder than in previous years. 

McCarthy is not a first-year head coach, yet he still has huge shoes to fill. He is already making his own changes and doing things differently from Tomlin. He must now continue to establish his ways and build the culture to his liking. The Steelers already have an established culture because of the number of veterans on the roster, and McCarthy needs to make some changes to that culture, as it's still primarily the same team that hasn't won a playoff game in nine seasons. 

Steelers Need A Shift In Their Culture

While the Steelers are known for their winning culture and still win a lot of games, they haven't been to a Super Bowl since 2011 or won one since 2009. Getting to the big game is extremely hard, let alone winning it, but 15 years is entirely too long for a franchise as prestigious as the Steelers. They need to make changes. A good start would be to focus more on offense, which they have already begun. 

Rather than trying to hold their opponent to under 20 points and win a nail-biter, they should focus on scoring more points. Defense is still a pivotal part of the game, but offenses have taken over the NFL, and McCarthy has recognized that fact. 

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