PITTSBURGH \u2014 Mike McCarthy strolled through the Pittsburgh Steelers\u2019 locker room on Sunday, with a smile stretched across his face and a ball tucked under his arm.<\/p>\n
At 62 years old, he\u2019s at a reflective stage in his life<\/a>. Sometimes at practice, McCarthy finds himself looking across the river to the neighborhood where he was raised. When he drives the streets of Greenfield, memories flood back. He remembers his late brother, Joe. He remembers long summer days shooting hoops on the basketball courts at Magee Field. He remembers Sundays spent cleaning his dad\u2019s bar before watching the Steelers build a dynasty under legendary coach Chuck Noll.<\/p>\n Now, McCarthy has one more keepsake in the collection. As the Steelers gathered following their 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons<\/a>, Aaron Rodgers presented the first-year coach with the game ball.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously a special moment,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cReally appreciate the guys. Appreciate Aaron and the kind words. It\u2019s time to move on and to get team victories from here on. I\u2019m not one for attention. So the homecoming\u2019s been great. Just glad to get this one under our belt.\u201d<\/p>\n Top Plays from Falcons @ Steelers<\/p>\n McCarthy\u2019s passion and connection to Pittsburgh is evident in what he says \u2014 and in how he says it, with a thick accent that\u2019s sometimes hard for Rodgers to decipher in the headset. McCarthy started training camp by educating players on the history of the steel industry and explaining how the best Steelers teams are a reflection of the city\u2019s identity. Inside the team facility, the Steelers have painted \u201cPittsburgh Is Our World\u201d in massive block letters. McCarthy renamed his competition period the \u201cFranco Moment,\u201d a tribute to the late Franco Harris. Players received shirts this week that read: \u201cThe mill never closes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMike\u2019s had a lot of wins,\u201d Rodgers said. \u201cBut it\u2019s always special when it\u2019s the first one at a place. Then, extra special when it\u2019s the team you grew up cheering for. And you grew up just on the other side of the river from the facility,\u201d Rodgers said. \u201cHis parents are still living in town. So super special to be able to (give him the game ball). I was really honestly looking forward to that today as much as anything.\u201d<\/p>\n A homecoming is only as happy as the result. The outcome checked an important box, even if it didn\u2019t come with many style points.<\/p>\n An early Jaylen Warren fumble gifted the Falcons points. An aborted field goal attempt likely took some off the board for the Steelers. A pass-happy Pittsburgh offense was full of stops and starts. All this contributed to the Steelers letting third-string quarterback Cooper Rush and the Falcons hang around into the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n That\u2019s when T.J. Watt took over. On the bench, Rodgers and backup quarterback Mason Rudolph were talking about the standout game the outside linebacker was having. As they looked up, Watt disengaged from the offensive tackle and snatched Rush\u2019s pass out of the air. Watt tumbled to the turf, but realizing he was untouched, he jumped to his feet and raced 35 yards to extend the lead to 20-13.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it was (Keeanu Benton) that was like, \u2018Get up! Get up!\u2019\u201d Watt said. \u201cI had no idea where I was. I had no bearing at all. I\u2019m sure the fall didn\u2019t look too graceful, but glad someone told me to get up and keep running.\u201d<\/p>\n Within the game, the Steelers showed some subtle ways the new coaching staff will take a different approach. A team that played man coverage at some of the highest rates in the league under Mike Tomlin shifted overwhelmingly to zone coverages. An offense that appeared reluctant to attack downfield in the past tried to hunt more deep shots, with mixed results.<\/p>\n However, the win still felt like so many others in recent Steelers memory, as they leaned on the defense to be the difference. Pittsburgh native Jaquan Brisker\u2019s interception set up the lone offensive touchdown, four sacks set the tone and the timely splash play from Watt clinched it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re about defense first,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cWe made that clear when we started this journey. I think it was clearly evident why today.\u201d<\/p>\n Where do Joey Porter Jr. and the Steelers go from here?<\/p>\n Mike DeFabo<\/p>\n Meanwhile, as the game unfolded, the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Joey Porter Jr. simmered below the surface. The cornerback sat out the duration of training camp and preseason with what the team is calling a back injury, returning to practice only on Sept. 1. After a week of limited work, Porter was ruled inactive<\/a>. McCarthy said Porter is still in the \u201cramp-up\u201d stage.<\/p>\n At the same time, it\u2019s impossible to ignore that Porter and Pittsburgh failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension ahead of the team\u2019s self-imposed deadline. Porter has been noncommittal when asked over the past two weeks whether he\u2019d be willing to play without a new contract.<\/p>\n \u201cWe sat down and talked about it, talked about the plan for next week,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cHe\u2019s definitely ready to do more, so we\u2019ll see how that goes.\u201d<\/p>\n