Tuesday was the big day. For the first time since 2007, the Pittsburgh Steelers introduced a new head coach. Mike McCarthy is the 17th head coach in franchise history and as he said in his emotional opening statement, his aim is to add a seventh Lombardi to the trophy case.

What kind of first impression did McCarthy make? Here are my thoughts.

– Small stuff to start with. Lot of fans don’t realize McCarthy is the 17th head coach in Steelers’ history. I received comments on the website and Twitter/X questioning McCarthy being No. 17. While he’s only the fourth since 1969, the Steelers went through coaches like socks prior to Chuck Noll’s arrival. Remember, this is a franchise that’s been playing football for nearly 100 years.

– The presser felt short. At least by introductory standards. The recapped version on the team YouTube channel clocked in at 30:33. Just for fun, here’s how other teams compare.

Jeff Hafley: 58 minutes
Kevin Stefanski: 43 minutes
John Harbaugh: 25 minutes

Robert Saleh, Jesse Minter, and Joe Brady have yet to have theirs with a few spots still open. We’ll see how they compare. In fairness, Hafley and Stefanski’s meetings had others to introduce, GM Jon-Eric Sullivan in Miami and Matt Ryan in Atlanta, but Art Rooney II and Omar Khan also spoke during yesterday’s meeting. A half-hour is a slightly longer-than-normal Mike Tomlin presser (though his own intro presser came in at just 21 minutes).

It’s not a critique but for an event that happens once every two decades, it went a little quicker than I expected.

– Reading prepared remarks, McCarthy could barely begin speaking without getting emotional. It’s clear this opportunity means a lot to him. A hometown kid getting to coach his hometown team is uncommon, even if two of the team’s last three head coaches hail from the region.

In his introductory Dallas press conference in 2020, McCarthy’s initial remarks focused on how big and grand the Cowboys’ facility was. How everything was state-of-the-art. In Pittsburgh, the message wasn’t about glitz and glam. It was about coming home.

Good on McCarthy for feeling like he could express how he really felt. All coaches work hard but doing it for your hometown team gives it special meaning.

– I was surprised McCarthy gave such a candid and absolute answer about Aaron Rodgers. You knew the question was coming and it was the second one he got. I expected him to leave the door open. Love Aaron, really good player, he has a decision to make so we’ll see what happens. Instead, he said without hesitation or reservation he “definitely” wants him back. 

Now, the ball is in Aaron Rodgers’ court. If Rooney does his offseason media tour, I wonder if he’s asked if he feels just as strongly.

– At one point, McCarthy punted an answer on Rodgers’ timeline and how long Pittsburgh might wait, offering it to Khan. But Khan didn’t answer and the presser moved on to the next question. That felt intentional and notable. Not that Khan is against Rodgers’ return but he doesn’t want to put timelines on it the way the team was asked all last offseason.

– I wouldn’t make much out of McCarthy saying he likes a big and athletic quarterback for his West Coast system. That wasn’t a slight against Rodgers. His quarterbacks have been pocket passers and if there’s anyone who can run McCarthy’s offense, it’s Rodgers. If anything, McCarthy has rarely worked with a highly mobile quarterback throughout his career. Rodgers was athletic but that wasn’t his top trait. Aaron Brooks might be the closest comparison.

– I liked hearing McCarthy commit to Pittsburgh keeping its 3-4. Base odd versus even front matters less than years ago but the Steelers’ group is still best suited to stay in its 3-4. Nick Herbig’s gotta be happy.

McCarthy later spoke about keeping the “language” the same. It reminded me of the comment Tomlin once made about keeping the phrase “Dog Rush” in the playbook from Bill Cowher/Dick LeBeau. So that players from all generations, those who played in the 90s, 00s, 2010s, and today, would all know exactly what “Dog Rush” meant.

– We heard McCarthy praise Will Howard. That’s not a shock. It’s consistent with reporting and he wasn’t going to throw Howard under the bus while sitting next to Rooney and Khan, two men involved in drafting him. I bet every candidate who interviewed spoke highly of Howard.

What I wish would’ve been asked was Howard’s potential role entering the offseason. If Rodgers doesn’t come back, is Howard in the mix to start? A big question to ask in an introductory press conference, I know, but it would have tested McCarthy’s actual belief in Howard.

– Though it’s already known about his offensive system, expect to see a lot more receivers on the field under McCarthy compared to Arthur Smith. He discussed the need to play “matchups” with different skill sets and body types, which means having more of those guys on the field. McCarthy’s offenses have used a fair amount of 12 personnel in the past, but it’ll pale in comparison to Smith’s tight-end heavy personnel.

– The two current Steelers who attended the presser were EDGE Alex Highsmith and CB Joey Porter Jr. Wouldn’t make a big deal out of others, like Cam Heyward or T.J. Watt, skipping it. A lot of those guys aren’t even in the area, having left the city for the offseason. Watt’s probably back in Wisconsin – which sure isn’t a bad place to spend some time.

The older guys are still digesting Tomlin’s departure, too.

– Big picture takeaway. McCarthy did fine. Well, even. It comes as little surprise. This is McCarthy’s third time in the chair. He’s conducted hundreds of press conferences and spent 2025 making semi-regular appearances on The Pat McAfee Show, giving him additional exposure to television and how to present yourself. It’s easy to see why he came off well in his interview.

This is just an opening presser. Most of them sound good. With rare exception, most coaches come away “winning” the presser, even if Art Rooney II downplayed its meaning. I generally put little stock in them because if you’ve heard one, you’ve heard them all.

Still, McCarthy said all the right things and there’s a sense that fans are a little warmer to him today than they were two days ago. A fine start, no question, but all that matters is everything else that happens forward. In the NFL, honeymoon periods are short.