Will McCarthy's Steelers lack a physical edge?
Mike Florio and Chris Simms discuss what this version of the Pittsburgh Steelers will look like under Mike McCarthy after taking over for Mike Tomlin.
Video Transcript
Steelers running back, Jaylen Warren, in his fifth season in the NFL.
Four years with Mike Tomlin as the head coach.
First time with Mike McCarthy, padded practice is day one, said Warren after practice.
It was the most tame, uneventful first pads of practice that he has seen.
And this is a continuation of a theme that dates back to last week when Mike McCarthy first said they're not gonna tackle to the ground, and then he tried to put the toothpaste back in the tube and say it's still gonna be physical.
Then on the first day of padded practices, you have guys who have been there for years basically saying, "What is this?"
It's not Mike Tomlin's football team anymore, and Chris, this is gonna be the most tangible thing that people point to if the Mike McCarthy Steelers don't live up to the standard that Mike Tomlin set.
Yeah.
Well, yeah, M- Mike Tomlin's famous for, for that, right?
We, we've discussed that at lengths before.
And it feels like that physicality and their chippy, edgy way is what made a team that was somewhat average or maybe even below average be just a little bit above average to sneak in the playoffs.
It felt like it was the Mike Tomlin ability to manage games, and them being a little more physical and tough was the reason they snuck in every year, it seemed like, for the last few years.
Now, you know, we'll see that, that, the translation as far as Mike McCarthy.
I will say this, Mike McCarthy, whether it was the Green Bay Packers or the Dallas Cowboys, I never looked at one of his teams and thought, "Ooh, they're soft.
They need to hit more.
They gotta do that."
So he's got his way, he wants to do certain things, and he's gonna live by that, and we'll see where it goes.
But you're right, that's definitely gonna be something people are gonna talk about, if things don't go the right way for the Steelers.
It just gives you something that you can tangibly point to if the Steelers don't finish .500.
They've been at least .500 for 19 straight seasons under Mike Tomlin.
And Mike McCarthy was 5 and 12 his first year with the Cowboys, or 5 and 11, depending upon whether it was 16 or 17 games, I can't remember.
What was his first year there?
Was it '20 or '21?
Regardless, he, he is setting up an apples to apples comparison that's gonna make it very easy for the average fan, even if they're incorrect, to say, "Well, the reason that we, that we didn't finish .500 this year is because we, we were too soft in practice.
We didn't tackle to the ground.
We didn't hit."
You got guys like Jaylen Warren saying how tame and uneventful it is.
I'm surprised that they're allowing it to be framed this way.
You're putting a lot of eggs in the basket that you're gonna be better, because if you're worse than the Steelers were last year, this is the thing that's going to be cited by the end.
And that's the thing, Mike McCarthy should understand that.
He's a Pittsburgh guy.
The Pittsburgh people are gonna draw the line, Chris, straight from sub-.500 to you were too easy on them in training camp.
Yeah.
Well, you know, the Pittsburgh fans, th- this is what they wanted.
This is what they've been, they've been clamoring about, "Oh, we don't want Mike Tomlin anymore," so this is what you got.
Not all of them.
So now we'll see how it goes.
Now deal with it.
Not all of them.
Deal with it.
I, that's all I can say- Not all of them and we're gonna see.
How many years- Yeah have I said- Yeah "Hey, Steelers fans, that 30% of you that wanna get rid of Mike Tomlin any time the team loses two or three games in a row, be careful what you wish for"?
Yes.
Well, and it's funny- Are you saying you're admitting you're a Steelers fan?
You're telling me, you're telling the audience finally now- No officially that you're a Steelers fan?
I'm, I'm a Steelers expert.
Okay.
I have lived- All right in and around Pittsburgh most of my life.
I understand what makes the organization tick.
I understand what makes the fans tick.
And I have been warning the anti-Tomlin crowd that you're gonna wish he was there.
Now, it's funny because I feel like there's a subtle, or subtle as the case may be, effort by some in the media to prop up McCarthy.
Attention to detail has become something that gets recited so often, it feels coordinated.
"Oh, he's got great attention to detail.
Mike McCarthy, great attention to detail."
Like, okay, fine.
I- and if you go 11 and 6 or 12 and 5, we can say, "Mike McCarthy's attention to detail made all the difference."
And if you fail, it's not gonna be about attention to detail, it's gonna be about lack of physicality in training camp, plain and simple.
Yeah.
Well, it, it, you're right.
That's gonna be brought up.
I, I've always heard Mike McCarthy is really good with the attention to detail, and, and I'm sure that is jumping out to guys, so they're saying it to, you know, beat writers and other people behind the scenes in doing that.
The question is, the detail, cool, right?
But the thing I always argued a little bit is, yeah, the detail, I, I, I'm fine with that, but it's detailed sometimes because it's very simple, and, and that is the thing I'll watch for.
So you have the physicality, but I, you know, I, I don't wanna see Aaron Rodgers Green Bay Packers 2016 offense.
"Oh, slant flat, double slant.
Oh, Aaron Rodgers, nobody's open with our two th- our three two-yard throws.
Now make magic happen and run around."
First off, Rodgers can't run around and make magic anymore.
He can't do that.
That's not gonna win, and yeah, the creative element and of course that coupled with Rodgers, can Mike McCarthy get him to hang in the pocket and throw the ball down the field a little bit more?
That's the big thing you know I'm gonna be watching for, Mike.
