By Bill Nestor
When Mike Tomlin stepped away from the Pittsburgh Steelers, it left a huge gap for the organization to fill. Tomblin had his share of success, including bringing home the Lombardi Trophy in 2009. The front office moved swiftly through the interview process and decided a homecoming would be in order for the 17th head coach in franchise history.
Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy was inked to a five-year deal with the details of his financial arrangement unknown. Tomlin was pulling in over $16 million per year when he left town. McCarthy was drawing roughly half of that when he parted ways with his last employer, the Dallas Cowboys, in 2024. He started his tenure for Jerry Jones in 2002 with COVID 19 forcing multiple changes in player personnel that would would test positive as well as taking fans out of the stands for games.
It went from bad to worse for McCarthy as player issues both on and off the field, coupled with the circus atmosphere that Jones creates, took the focus away from football.
McCarthy broke into the NFL in 1993, going with Paul Hackett at the University of Pittsburgh to the Kansas City Chiefs. Ironically, he was the graduate assistant and then wide receivers coach for the Panthers when former Grafton native Alex Van Pelt was the star quarterback. McCarthy spent six years in Kansas City before moving to Green Bay for a season. He gained a title (offensive coordinator) and attention in New Orleans (four years) and San Francisco (one season), before getting his first big break.
McCarthy would rejoin the Packers as the head coach in 2006. He inherited a four-win team from the previous regime. In his second season, he would compile a 13 and three record and take the Pack to the NFC Championship Game where they would lose to the eventual Super Bowl winners, the New York Giants.
Quarterback controversy and a truckload of injuries hamstrung McCarthy through the 2010 season, but that year he managed to beat the odds. Three consecutive underdog victories put Green Bay in the Super Bowl against the Steelers. Pittsburgh and Mike Tomlin were coming off of a Super Bowl title the previous year and were looking for back-to-back titles. The Packers, once again in the underdog role (minus 2.5 points) pulled the upset, giving McCarthy his first championship while taking away the best opportunity Tomlin would have for the remainder of his time in “Steel City.”
McCarthy was named the top dog in Pittsburgh, garnering mixed emotions from Steeler Nation. The current trend in the NFL is to hire young, energetic coordinators that are hungry and eager for a head coaching opportunity. Some feel that at age 62, McCarthy might not have enough left in the tank to be able to outwork his counterparts around the league. He is also compared to Tomlin in regards to being a stable leader that provides consistency, but can’t be a trend-setting front runner that others would be forced to chase. He is one of only five coaches in NFL history to lead one franchise to eight straight playoff appearances.
Just a side note. Chuck Noll is also one of those five.
If you saw a chance to see his press conference when he was introduced as the head coach, you saw the emotion he displayed. The tears shed by the veteran mentor shos his love for the team that he grew up cheering for and that now he coaches. Now that his dream is a reality, look for him to pour whatever is left in his tank into the team. Hopefully it is enough to get them to their destination.
That will do it for now! Until next week . . . take care and God Bless!!!
