Steelers Now
Social media reactions were largely negative after the news broke on Saturday that Mike McCarthy will be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ next head coach. Several former Steelers players were not happy with the decision. The fanbase and media were also rather pessimistic, hoping for a younger hire. McCarthy is 62.
Steelers president Art Rooney II is not concerned about the outside noise, however. He thinks McCarthy is the right coach to lead the team into a new era of Steelers football.
“We’re really not worried about winning the initial press conference. It’s about picking the coach we believe will help us win games,” Rooney said, via Bob Labriola of Steelers.com. “And social media really doesn’t enter into it. And none of that will matter once we’re starting to play games.
“The message for our fans is we’re very excited. We think we have a coach who is well-equipped to lead us into the next winning phase of Steelers football, and that’s what it’s all about. I think they’re going to love Coach Mike.”
Rooney and general manager Omar Khan plucked McCarthy as their team’s next leader largely because his ability to develop quarterbacks.
“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.”
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.”
Brendan Howe contributed.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Art Rooney II Not Concerned About Fan Anger over Mike McCarthy Hire
