1-on-1 with Mike McCarthy - March 31, 2026

Mike McCarthy talks to Max Starks about free agent additions, new coaching staff, and draft preparations

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Coach McCarthy, thank you for sitting down with us here
at the owners meetings.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
For you specifically, I mean, now you've.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
Had time to relax and kind of get settled back
into Pittsburgh. How has it been driving to work back
home in Pittsburgh?

Speaker 2 (00:24):
How has that process been now?

Speaker 3 (00:26):
I mean, the drive to work at home is it's incredible.
It's something that I don't even think you can dream
about it because I'm literally driving the streets that I
grew up on, so Greenville Avenue, Second Avenue, across the bridge,
and right down Water Street. So it's still a bit surreal.
I'm loving every minute of it. But it's football. I mean,
there's a lot of work to do. Year one is

(00:48):
always the hardest year.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
You know.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
I've been through it a couple of times. I've been
through it a couple of times as an assistant, So
really we just have had our head down and just
trying to grind and make sure we're ready to go
when the players come back.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
Obviously this time of year, a lot of guys don't
get into the building that frequently. That'll happen once ota start.
But how important is it to kind of communicate and
lean on veterans like a TJ. Wy, a Cam Hayward
and company to kind of impart kind of what the
philosophy and your style is.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
How has that process been thus far. I mean it's
very important.

Speaker 3 (01:19):
I mean this Pittsburgh Steelers has an incredible history and tradition.
You know, we're all aware of that, but also it
does have a history of winning currently, So in TJ
and Cam are part of that. And you know, I
had early conversations with both men that they just want
a chance to win it all before you know, their
career comes to an end, so very receptive. They just

(01:40):
want to be part of the messaging the new direction.
So basically both said the coaches tell us, tell us
what you want. So and really everybody in that locker
room currently, that's who will impact you know, this upcoming season.
The new players are very important to veterans. Get them acclimated.
You know, then we've got the rookie class. But these veterans,
you know, they're they they you know, they know the

(02:01):
Pittsburgh steel Away and you know, we're just taking a
little different path. So you know, we're not trying to
change They're not change colors. We're not getting new uniforms. Yeah,
you know, so we want to build off all the
greatness that's been here for decades.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
And speaking of that players coming back, you've had some quality.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
Free agents and how did how did you identify and
how was that process figuring out who those guys were
and to go target and then of course acquire those players.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
Yeah, definitely, I'm big into play style and in physical profiles.
So I think you see the common thread we have
everybody who we signed. I think it's a great addition
to our roster. So we don't feel like we have
to go in the draft and say, hey we need this.
We you know, position wide, we can really trust our board.
We have a lot of picks. You know, this is
Omar and I was first draft class together. So and

(02:47):
it's I'm a believer in you know, it's a program
shift obviously, you know, Mike's had incredible success there for
nineteen seasons, so we you know, we want this to
be a you know, a launching point for for our
new program.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
Some of those additions.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
As we talked about the physical profile, Michael Pittman obviously
put him with Dame at that that's a that's a
dynamic duo. But when you're talking about that group, it's
an imposing group. And how exciting is it to have
all these kind of big physical types on the offensive
side of the ball.

Speaker 3 (03:18):
You've played there. I mean, it's it's a style of
play the division. It's it's been that way for just
watching them play in the seventies, so you know, it's
a it's a style football that we're going to play.
So Michael, you know DK we you know, learned from
last year. We want to move these guys around. I
think your perimeter targets. It's important for the quarterback to
be conceptionally ingrained to you know, his footwork and understand

(03:41):
the concept and the ability to move your perimeter pieces
around to create matchups. So, you know, a Michael gives
us stuff flexibility.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
A lot of questions have been asked about the quarterback position.
Can you give us any insights to where we are
with Aaron Rodgers right now?

Speaker 2 (03:54):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (03:54):
I mean Aaron and I have had continuous dialogue pretty
much every week, so and we'll continue to talk. He's,
you know, looking at the different things that are going
on in his life, and I would say is in
a very positive headspace. So we're kind of working through
that and we'll get a decision.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
Steelers organization has not gone through changes very often, as
you very well know.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
You know, just kind of talk about this time of.

Speaker 1 (04:19):
Year the priorities when you're bringing in a whole new
coaching staff, right, so you have a lot of new
faces in there, and like you said, the veterans having
the different impacts. But how how is that what's the
priority this time of year with the new coaching staff
where you guys are at.

Speaker 3 (04:33):
I mean, the focus has always been on the draft,
player acquisition, veteran free agency in the draft, so player
acquisition and then scheme implementation. So that's really we're finishing up.
Defense is always a little further ahead in an offense
a little more like I always tell defense goes, we
got to tell you where to line up.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
So we've got we've got a little more to do.

Speaker 3 (04:50):
But so we're we're kind of wrapping that up right
now because we want to be able to get it
to the players through the phase one and two and
make sure they're comfortable before we get really can get
out on the field and go full speed.

Speaker 1 (05:04):
OTAs that time of year, getting the guys back in
the building really and and enforce with a group of guys.
How important is that time of year and what are
you looking to accomplish in the OTA period.

Speaker 3 (05:15):
Anytime you can have your whole football team together, I
think is an important opportunity that you should try to
take advantage of. So, yeah, when we get to the OTAs,
we'll go to a little different format. We'll spend the
first two phases, you know, teaching everything conceptionally, and then
we get to OTAs, we'll do more installation type you know,
first and second down and try to exercise more of

(05:37):
them I would call a traditional install that you know
that we've been been part of. So we want to
get as much teaching, you know, as much teaching we
possibly can throughout that as ot.

Speaker 1 (05:47):
As And as a draft comes up, how involved is
the coaching staff and the draft process? Given you know
where we're at, how how involved are they?

Speaker 2 (05:57):
Very involved?

Speaker 3 (05:58):
I mean, our coaches have you know, we've written a
lot of reports on a lot of draft picks. So
I really like the collaboration between personnel and coaching. And
I think at the end of the day, it's it's
about getting that board ranked, you know, getting the board right,
and and then just we just got to have the discipline,
trust the board, and uh but yeah, I think the
collaboration and and really I like the way the personnel

(06:20):
and coaches have been jelling.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
Now draft is in Pittsburgh.

Speaker 1 (06:23):
Yeah, but right that, right right there on the three
rivers of the confluence of three rivers is my good
buddy Craig Wolfe used to say, you.

Speaker 2 (06:30):
Have twelve picks.

Speaker 1 (06:31):
How do you approach your first draft as a head
coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers knowing you have that type
of capital at your.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
All patients and discipline. I've always looked at the draft,
you know, a lot like preparing a game plan for
for the Super Bowl. Just there's so much work that
goes into that. You spent the whole year. I mean you,
I mean, these scouts have been banging on these on
these guys for years. You know, the the amount of
information that's collected in the ability to now bring it
together and you know, let's not forget about the conversations

(06:59):
that place and you know back in November and January,
and when we get to the final grade, let's let's
just trust it and bring them in. And then you
can't have you cannot have enough football players, Max, that's
one thing I do know about the sleeve.

Speaker 1 (07:14):
Absolutely and happy to have a good one leading that charge.
Of youu coas Brouh, Thanks, thanks for taking the time
to sit down with us.

Speaker 2 (07:20):
Well, thank you. It's very visiting, all right, appreciate it.