Big Ben is a big fan of the Mike McCarthy hire.
Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on Wednesday weighed in on the choice of McCarthy to serve as the franchise’s 17th coach.
“I think it’s a great hire,” Roethlisberger said during a guest appearance on the “In the Locker Room” show on Steelers Nation Radio. “I know that it’s drawn mixed emotions and mixed bags amongst Steeler fans, the talking heads and this, that, and the other. But personally, I like the hire. I really do. And I’m not just saying that.”
McCarthy, 62, ranks 15th in career NFL coaching wins, having spent 18 of the past 20 seasons as head coach of the Green Bay Packers (2006-18) and Dallas Cowboys (2020-24).
The Steelers chose McCarthy from a field of nine candidates that they interviewed either in person or over teleconference. McCarthy was by far the oldest of that lot, was one of only two that had previously been an NFL head coach, one of only three whose background was in offense and the only one who grew up in Pittsburgh.
Roethlisberger liked all of those aspects of McCarthy’s resume.
“I think (hiring McCarthy) is smart for a few reasons,” Roethlisberger told cohosts Rob King and Max Starks. “There’s something to be said about a Pittsburgh guy. I know that that’s not going to win you games necessarily, but he understands what it is to bleed black and gold. I know he’s coached elsewhere, but you’re telling me that deep down inside him, he didn’t always have black and gold run through his veins a little bit? You know what I’m saying? There’s something there.
“I know fans kind of want this, like, ‘Let’s just wipe the slate clean, start over.’ But I think if fans would really like check themselves after like the emotions go, I think they still want someone that has a little bleeding of the black and gold.
“Like, Miami of Ohio, my alma mater. I wanted them to hire a Miami guy. Because you know he’s not using as a stepping stone. He loves it. He wants to be there forever. Mike McCarthy, you could tell in his introductory press conference, this is a big deal for him.”
Roethlisberger also turned McCarthy’s age and experience into a positive, making an analogy to quarterbacks in which the proven commodity was a better option than an unknown — even one with upside.
Roethlisberger, who retired after the 2021 season, appreciates McCarthy’s offensive background. The Steelers’ past three head coach hires since 1969 were all sitting defensive coordinators.
“It’s just time to score more than six points in a playoff game,” Roethlisberger said, referencing the 30-6 defeat to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round earlier this month. “And if Steeler fans are like, ‘Wait a second, I don’t like this hire.’ Well, don’t you want to score some points?
“I understand this team and this city will always bleed defense and running the ball. But at some point, you’ve got to keep up with the Joneses. You’ve got to start scoring some points.”