STEELERS

Chris Halicke / DKPS, Getty, Getty

Mike McCarthy, Ben Kindel, Braxton Ashcraft

The hiring of Mike McCarthy might not have been popular at the time when the news broke. But if he's able to help the Steelers find their next franchise quarterback, It'll be a successful hire. And, given his approach to the position, there are greater chances of that player being discovered.

Don't let McCarthy's continued -- and lingering -- talks with Aaron Rodgers fool you. This man wants to develop quarterbacks -- as in plural. That's why Will Howard is taken so seriously on the South Side. And, that's why heading into next week's NFL Draft, the chances are pretty high the Steelers take a swing on a quarterback in the first two days of the draft.

So, if Rodgers is back in the fold, how is quarterback development made a priority? According to multiple sources, McCarthy has already had talks with Howard's personal quarterback coach. And the plan moving forward is for McCarthy to have the same approach with any of his quarterbacks. McCarthy did this is Dallas with Dak Prescott.

From what I've heard, McCarthy believes heavily in investing time and communication with the personal coach each quarterback uses. That way the personal coach uses McCarthy's same language with that quarterback, making the development as seamless as possible. 

It's not uncommon for head coaches to have this open line of communication with personal coaches. But, it's one thing if that head coach is defensive minded, as Mike Tomlin was. With McCarthy being an offensive mind and the offense's play caller, he is much more invested in the position than we've seen any Steelers head coach be in decades.

Now, none of this guarantees Howard or any potential draft pick this year to develop into the franchise's next long-term quarterback. But, just because the work isn't being done for everyone's eyes to see, it doesn't mean there isn't work being done at all. On the contrary, investments are already being made into the position we haven't seen before.

MORE STEELERS

• My latest intel on the draft is the Steelers still prefer a wide receiver in the first round. However, they are not married to just one position. There's a reason you've seen the likes of Olaivavega Ioane and Spencer Fano go to the South Side for pre-draft visits. I'm really getting the feeling offensive line is becoming a real possibility. Either way, unlike the past couple of seasons, there isn't one overwhelming position the Steelers are favoring in the first round. -- Chris Halicke

• The Steelers love Caleb Downs. He's one of their favorite players in the draft. However, from what I've been told, they believe he will be a top 10 pick, thus they have him in their top 10 on their own big board. It's a pipe dream for them, but expect him to be long gone before they pick 21st overall. -- Chris Halicke

• I believe the Steelers like Ty Simpson and perhaps have him as their No. 2 quarterback on their big board. However, I do not believe they are considering him in the first round. It would have to be a trade up scenario in the second round, if he's even still available. -- Chris Halicke

• I've only heard this from a couple sources, but one coach that might be very popular on McCarthy's staff is Ramon Chinyoung, the new running backs coach. Word is he has a great energy and the players relate very well to him. I'm curious to learn more about that in the coming weeks. -- Chris Halicke

PENGUINS

• Had a number of chats, both on- and off-the-record, with different players in the days before the Penguins knew who their first-round opponent would be, and the prevailing sentiment was that they didn't care in the slightest who they played. "You're going to have to play four good teams no matter what," was what Anthony Mantha said with a bit of a shrug. Then after the Penguins finally knew they'd be playing the Flyers, it was just more shrugs around the room. -- Taylor Haase

• Back in the December meeting between the two teams, Trevor Zegras tried to ... goad Connor Clifton into a penalty? Make him flinch for the laughs? Hard to say. He fake lunged at him a couple of times at a stoppage, and Clifton didn't bat an eye. I talked to him about that at the next practice back then, and he was still confused and amused over it. -- Taylor Haase

• In case you missed it a couple of days ago, I confirmed with the team that there won't be a big screen for the first round. The explanation I got wasn't related to the NFL draft, it was just that they don't typically do the big screen in the first round anyway. I did some research and outside of the COVID years, though, I couldn't find an example of them not doing it in the first round. They almost didn't do it in the first round in 2016, but walked back on that due to fan feedback. -- Taylor Haase

• I asked about opening up the arena for fan watch parties for the road games, and as of a few days ago they weren't yet sure. -- Taylor Haase

PIRATES

• Whether he’s taping tickets to pitchers’ lockers in an effort to recognize the number of strikeouts they compiled in a given game, or the manner in which he ranks members of the starting rotation based on their most recent performances, Bill Murphy is inciting competition amongst the entire pitching group. And he’s doing it in a light-hearted way to keep things loose. 

When a guy like Braxton Ashcraft struck out nine batters in his last start against the Cubs in Chicago, nine red tickets were taped to his locker stall. Written on them were the last names of the Cubs players he struck out, the pitch type that resulted in strike three and the count in which he finished them off. Then there’s the replica model of Pittsburgh’s skyline that goes from locker to locker. That includes photos of all five starters — Ashcraft, Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler and Carmen Mlodzinski — and is used to rank the pitchers based on their most recent performances. The better they pitch, the higher their picture goes on the model. 

Murphy’s impact continues to be felt when it comes to his work with the pitching staff. But he’s also making his presence felt in coming up with ways to add to the internal competition with small, fun incentives that keep the pitchers focused on consistent on-field production. 

“We all know that it's going to be more than 13 guys to help this team win a championship this year, but keeping things in perspective, keeping us forward focus is one of his top priorities,” Ashcraft told me. “In doing that, you see a lot of progress in everybody's arsenals, everybody's mix, it's the way we all pitch and go about our work, so having that constant and knowing that every day you show up to the field, you're gonna have the same person in them is really good. Not that we've never had that, but just his consistency in the way that he goes about his work allows us to go about our work very consistently as well, and there's an open line of communication there as well.” -- José Negron in Pittsburgh

• After Yohan Ramirez managed to get out of a bases-loaded jam to close out the Pirates’ win over the Cubs in Chicago on Saturday, Murphy was seen in the visiting dugout celebrating in an emotional way. I asked Ashcraft if he’s ever seen that side of Murphy. 

“Someone sent out a little GIF in the group text and I think I said, ‘Daggone this guy actually does have a pulse,’” Ashcraft joked. “He's one of the most consistent people I've ever been around. He's always the same person no matter what. He doesn't bring outside stuff into the field. He's here to help us get better and help us win ballgames, and I think that it goes for anybody, when you see the fruits of your labor pay off, it's exciting and rewarding, and whenever the team gets a win in a big situation and people overcome adversity, it's exciting. When you really care for people, as he does and as we do as a group, to see them come out on top of the situations like that, immediate adversity to immediate opportunity to overcome adversity, it's really cool to see that switch and how people go about their business. It’s hard not to celebrate that.” -- José Negron

• Konnor Griffin has experienced the inevitable growing pains associated with playing at the major-league level for the first time. It happens with a lot of players making that jump, even 19-year-old phenoms. With that said, there’s no indication that Griffin could eventually find his way back to the minors, even if his struggles continue. He’s locked up long term and he’s here to stay. He’ll work through things against major-league pitching, and that seems to be the best way to handle his development. -- José Negron

• It’s obviously been a grind for Justin Lawrence lately. He hasn’t often delivered in relief, and it’s clear that it’s affected him in regards to the mental part of the game. There’s still clear internal faith in his ability to bounce back, though. The Pirates like his stuff and are encouraged by the uptick in velocity he’s experienced as of late. He was hitting 97 pretty consistently on Sunday, but the command has to be better. -- José Negron

• For those wondering why Lawrence wasn’t part of the move to bring Evan Sisk up from Class AAA Indianapolis, Lawrence is out of minor-league options and Hunter Barco had three remaining. Seems like a better idea to get Barco stretched out more in the minors, while Lawrence is given the chance to show he can manage his way out of this rough stretch. It seems like lower-leverage opportunities will be the setting in which he’ll attempt to do such a thing. -- José Negron

• The Pirates will debut their new City Connect jerseys tonight against the Rays and former Pirates pitcher AJ Burnett will be in attendance to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. -- José Negron