The Pittsburgh Steelers hired Mike McCarthy as their next head coach. The 52-year-old reportedly name-dropped Joe Montana during his pitch to NFL teams with a job opening.
He claimed stolen valor!
This is not to discredit one of the most successful head coaches in the modern era of the NFL. It is to say that his first two years in Kansas City absolutely do not count toward his list of accomplishments.
Mike McCarthy is the new head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers fired Mike Tomlin after 18 seasons in Pittsburgh. He won 193 regular season games, eight postseason games and Super Bowl XLIII. It was a great run.
However, his time in Steel City ran its course over the last few years. The Steelers could not get out of the Wild Card round in five of the last six seasons.
Both parties “mutually agreed” to part ways after the loss to the Texans.
Some of the names attached to the job opening included Sean McDermott, Brian Flores, Chris Shula and Nate Scheelhaase, among others. Mike McCarthy ultimately got the job.
He will now have coached the three most storied franchises in the league: Dallas, Green Bay and Pittsburgh. That’s quite the career. Only time will tell whether he can lead the Steelers deeper into the playoffs than his predecessor. The goal is to win a Super Bowl, obviously.
According to multiple reports, the organization is not trying to lure Aaron Rodgers back for another season with the hire of McCarthy. He sold the team on his history of developing quarterbacks.
Does Joe Montana count?
The Titans also interviewed Mike McCarthy for their head coaching job. He gave both teams the same pitch. It focused on his time with quarterbacks like Rodgers, Dak Prescott, Jake Delhomme, Brett Favre, Steve Young and Rich Gannon.
Notice another name on that list— Joe Montana.
McCarthy deserves full credit for the development of Rodgers and Prescott. He even helped to shape Young and Favre even though they were already elite when he arrived to San Francisco and Green Bay.
To claim Montana is crazy.
McCarthy arrived to Kansas City as an offensive quality control analyst for the Chiefs in 1993. He stayed in that role until he was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 1995.
Montana had already won four Super Bowls and was twice named as the MVP before he also got to Kansas City in 1993. The Hall of Fame quarterback spent only two seasons with the Chiefs at the age of 37 years old.
Mike McCarthy cannot claim him. There was no development there. Maybe the other way around, sure. Montana helped McCarthy become a better coach. McCarthy had nothing to do with the success of Montana. That’s ludicrous.