Mike Tomlin Gets Honest About Mike McCarthy as New Steelers Coach

0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made his official debut as an analyst on NBC Sports' coverage of the NFL Hall of Fame Game featuring the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals.

With the crew discussing various hot topics ahead of the new season, naturally, the Steelers' situation came up, which will see another Super Bowl-winning coach, Mike McCarthy, take over as the Steelers' coach. Months after he mutually parted ways with the Steelers, Tomlin shared his honest thoughts about McCarthy being at the helm.

"You know I know a little bit about the Steelers' situation, to say the least. Mike's perfect for them and they're perfect for Mike," Tomlin said on NBC. "Certainly being a Pittsburgh native, he understands the standard that is Pittsburgh, and he'll embrace that. His coaching experience will also allow him to manage that."

"He's got an awesome resume, obviously. The confetti's rained down on him before with his current quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, and there's no substitute for shared success. Those waters run deep," he said, adding, "He's positioned to do well. Certainly there's some challenges when you come into a new situation but boy there's a lot to like about continuity in this new experience for him."

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McCarthy comes in after previously coaching the Dallas Cowboys from 2020 to 2024, but also coached the Green Bay Packers for 12 years, during Aaron Rodgers' emergence as an all-time great quarterback. That included Rodgers and the Packers' Super Bowl-winning 2010 NFL season, and many are hoping the McCarthy and Rodgers reunion could lead to some stunning success.

In addition, McCarthy was born and raised in Pittsburgh and has those strong ties to the area. The longtime NFL coach holds a 174–112–2 record overall, including an 11-11 record in the postseason, which he hopes he'll improve upon as he debuts with the Steelers.

While it's McCarthy's debut season as Steelers coach, it will mark Rodgers' last season playing in the NFL, as he's vehemently indicated he plans to retire after this upcoming campaign. And that will also be one of the major challenges that McCarthy eventually faces, as his second season as head coach could be without a veteran QB like Rodgers on the field.

Regarding the upcoming season, it would certainly be surprising to see this team get near the Super Bowl based on the other contending squads in the AFC, but quite possibly there's some McCarthy magic in store for the city. At the very least, he'll be expected to guide this team to another postseason appearance, something Tomlin established in 13 of his 19 seasons at the helm.

The Steelers have their first preseason action on Thursday, Aug. 13, fittingly against McCarthy's former team, the Packers. They'll have their first regular-season game with a home opener on Sunday, Sept. 13, when they host the Atlanta Falcons.

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