The Steelers have reached a verbal agreement with Mike McCarthy to become the 17th head coach in franchise history. The team announced the agreement Saturday afternoon.
McCarthy, 62, is most known for his 13 seasons as head coach of the Packers and five seasons as head coach of the Cowboys. He has one Super Bowl championship on his resume, a win over the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. Over his 18 seasons as a head coach in the NFL, he's 174-112-2 in the regular season and 11-11 in the postseason.
This is a full-circle move for McCarthy. He's a Pittsburgh native (Greenfield neighborhood), so he understands better than most how much the franchise means to the city. He worked previously with Omar Khan when both were in the Saints organization in 2000-2001. And, with the Steelers being open to a reunion with Aaron Rodgers, perhaps a reunion with his former head coach of 13 seasons could help lure the four-time MVP into a second year in Pittsburgh.
On the other side of the coin, this is a bit of a surprising move. Hiring McCarthy is a serious deviation from how the last three head coaches were hired. With Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin, all three were defensive coaches, hired in their 30s and had no previous experience as a head coach. McCarthy is an offensive coach, in his early 60s and has been an NFL head coach for nearly two decades.
THE ASYLUM
Steelers hiring McCarthy as next head coach
The Steelers have reached a verbal agreement with Mike McCarthy to become the 17th head coach in franchise history. The team announced the agreement Saturday afternoon.
McCarthy, 62, is most known for his 13 seasons as head coach of the Packers and five seasons as head coach of the Cowboys. He has one Super Bowl championship on his resume, a win over the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. Over his 18 seasons as a head coach in the NFL, he's 174-112-2 in the regular season and 11-11 in the postseason.
This is a full-circle move for McCarthy. He's a Pittsburgh native (Greenfield neighborhood), so he understands better than most how much the franchise means to the city. He worked previously with Omar Khan when both were in the Saints organization in 2000-2001. And, with the Steelers being open to a reunion with Aaron Rodgers, perhaps a reunion with his former head coach of 13 seasons could help lure the four-time MVP into a second year in Pittsburgh.
On the other side of the coin, this is a bit of a surprising move. Hiring McCarthy is a serious deviation from how the last three head coaches were hired. With Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin, all three were defensive coaches, hired in their 30s and had no previous experience as a head coach. McCarthy is an offensive coach, in his early 60s and has been an NFL head coach for nearly two decades.
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