Steelers Now
In the Pittsburgh Steelers’ coaching search, experience wound up being key. Team president Art Rooney II and general manager Omar Khan plucked Mike McCarthy as their team’s next leader largely because he’s seen a thing or two.
Rooney addressed the choice in a story on the Steelers’ team website on Sunday.
“He is someone who has a longer track record than many of the other candidates, a winning track record,” Rooney said. “He’s been a winner everywhere he’s been. Probably just as important for our purposes, the quarterbacks that he’s worked with have all been very successful. So he has a proven track record of developing top flight quarterback. Those are the things that maybe stick out the most.”
McCarthy becomes the 15th coach in NFL history to lead at least three teams. He’s gone 174-112-2 over 18 regular seasons as a head coach. He also guided the Green Bay Packers to a win over the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.
Many wondered why the Steelers didn’t wait to talk in person to either Los Angeles Rams assistant coaches they virtually interviewed — defensive coordinator Chris Shula and passing game coordinator Nate Scheelehaase. Rooney said he and Khan felt like it wouldn’t be necessary.
“We wound up bringing in three guys for in-person interviews – Brian Flores, Mike McCarthy, and Anthony Weaver – and then we sat down and talked about whether we had our man, or if we wanted to bring in more people for in-person interviews,” Rooney said. “We decided that Mike was the man for the job, and so we went ahead and offered him the job on Saturday.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Art Rooney II Explains Why Steelers Hired Mike McCarthy
