When the Pittsburgh Steelers hired Mike McCarthy as the franchise’s 17th head coach since 1933, they hoped he would significantly improve an offensive philosophy that felt stagnant for the last half-decade following Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement.
At times, Mike Tomlin’s Steelers felt like they were playing not to make mistakes on offense. They weren’t trying to score points and win games with the football in their hands.
McCarthy will change that this season. Despite valid concerns about the Steelers bringing back 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers, McCarthy’s presence should dramatically change things for the Black and Gold.
Former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew, appearing on NFL Network’s Back Together Weekend show Saturday afternoon, raised concerns about Pittsburgh’s offense.
“I think the biggest difference is, is Mike McCarthy gonna kinda open this offense up to motions and shift, or you’re gonna be stagnant? If you’re gonna be stagnant, then I don’t know how good this offense is gonna be,” Jones-Drew said of the Steelers offense, according to video via NFL Network.
“Today’s NFL is about motion, shifts, movement, play-action passes, big shots. You have two big receivers on the outside, giants at tight end. Over the last couple years, we’ve seen the status quo of…not having a losing season, making it to the playoffs, and now you kinda switch all that up, and this is your last hoorah. I just don’t know. I’m concerned [about] how it may go. I’m a little concerned.”
It’s understandable to have some concerns about McCarthy’s offense with Rodgers under center. Rodgers has a specific style he likes to play, and all the motions, pre-snap shifts, and movement within modern NFL offenses might not be his overall comfort zone. The same could be said for McCarthy, who believes in the West Coast-style system.
Fortunately, the Steelers have plenty of offensive talent. Rodgers is at quarterback, DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., and rookie Germie Bernard lead an improved receiving corps, and Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth are talented tight ends. The offensive line is still relatively young, but the group looks strong on paper and should be quite good this season.
After reflecting on his take on the Steelers’ offense for a bit, Jones-Drew shockingly changed his stance less than an hour later.
“I have a ton of optimism for the Pittsburgh Steelers offensively to go there and get after it, right? To throw the ball, to make the right checks, to run the football, be the physical team,” Jones-Drew added.
That’s what the Steelers clearly want to be, based on all the offseason moves they made.
But McCarthy was out of the NFL for a year. That time away could complicate his transition back into the game the way it’s played today. The Steelers want to be a power rushing attack, utilize play-action, and throw the ball on early downs to set up the run.
To do that, Rodgers says the Steelers need to be under center on early downs. We’ll see what the Steelers’ offense looks like when the pads come on for the first time Monday.
