Joe Haden isn’t guaranteeing Mike McCarthy’s first year with the Pittsburgh Steelers will be a rousing success. But he knows the ingredients are there. In the middle of discussing NFL.com’s recent inclusion of McCarthy as a possible Coach of the Year candidate, Haden, on his Deebo & Joe podcast with James Harrison, made the case for why Pittsburgh has the road map to success.
“We know at the end of the day, people are sleeping on the Steelers because they aren’t expecting them to do nothing,” Haden said Monday. “But you know when you really look at the roster, if they do lock in, it’s going to be problems [for opponents]. It’s going to be trouble.”
Much of the discussion centered on McCarthy’s ability to create a disciplined roster. One with more accountability and structure to keep the team focused. That’s already been felt with new weight requirements as TE Darnell Washington noted during a recent interview.
As players occasionally noted, Tomlin allowed them to largely create their own structure, putting the onus on them to get better and put in the work. McCarthy is changing that system. Defensively, the Steelers were plagued with miscommunication the last couple of seasons. If new coordinator Patrick Graham plugs those holes, the defense will immediately make a clear jump from a disappointing 2025 campaign.
Offensively, debate remains around Aaron Rodgers’ viability. Haden doesn’t view it as an obstacle.
“Everybody keeps talking about we have Old Man Aaron,” he said. “Philip Rivers at 45 off the couch and was swinging the ball for them. Don’t tell me Aaron Rodgers is not way better than that. We get a good running game, Aaron Rodgers is smart over his shoulders, he still spins the rock. People last season were dropping some passes.”
Rivers stepped into the Colts’ lineup last season despite having been away from the game since 2020. His attempt to keep the team afloat failed, losing all three games, but 40-something quarterbacks playing and having success are gaining traction. Rodgers still has a live arm and his chemistry with Mike McCarthy should be a positive.
Haden outlined how McCarthy can become a Coach of the Year favorite.
“We win the division, we get top 10 in offense and defense. And then we win our first playoff game, second playoff game, and then he’s Coach of the Year for me.”
Pittsburgh last ranked top 10 in scoring offense in 2018. On defense, its last instance occurred in 2020. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. If McCarthy can remedy all those problems, he’ll have good reason to win the award.
Haden said if Pittsburgh’s defense is assignment-sound, it’ll be a top-10 group. If the group can add takeaways, it could be No. 1. Ability isn’t what is holding the Steelers back.
“At the end of the day, we have the talent here on the team,” Haden said.
It was an impassioned pro-Pittsburgh case. But as Haden recognized, all that matters is how the team looks on the field. Last year, expectations were even higher and the team fell well short of them. One month from now, the Steelers will begin training camp practices. In just over two months, the team will begin getting answers with its opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
