Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin sent shockwaves throughout the football world after announcing that he would be stepping down from his position after the team’s loss in the AFC Wild Card playoffs to the Houston Texans. Pittsburgh wasted no time, hiring Mike McCarthy in the coming weeks. Although McCarthy enters Pittsburgh with a solid coaching resume, some believe he is already sitting on one of the hottest coaching seats in the league.
In an article from Rotowire, they ranked all the NFL coaches by how hot their seats are entering the season. McCarthy was labeled as having the third hottest seat in the entire league, ahead of only Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets and Shane Steichen of the Indianapolis Colts. Interestingly enough, Ravens new head coach Jesse Minter was just one spot ahead of McCarthy on the list.
Rotowire justified their McCarthy hot seat label by saying that he and Minter are “inheriting proud, veteran-run programs.” While this is a true statement, it’s hard to imagine that the Steelers and Ravens would seriously consider moving on from their coaches after one season, barring anything catastrophic.
The Steelers have always prided themselves on being a well-run organization that does not make rash decisions with their head coaches. McCarthy is only the fourth head coach for the Steelers since 1969, and it’s hard to imagine that changing anytime soon.
McCarthy does come into his first season in Pittsburgh with some pressure to win some meaningful games. Many expect the Steelers to once again be contending for the AFC North crown this season. The organization has not won a postseason game since 2016, and fans will only want the organization to make more changes the longer that drought continues.
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