Everybody in Pittsburgh has been in a snit over one big topic all week.

Snow removal.

That’s right. I’m right there with you. I live on the North Side, and I haven’t seen a single snowplow since at leas….

… OH! Oh, that other thing. The Steelers’ new head coach.

That’s right. Him too.

Look, I’m softening on the hiring of Mike McCarthy. All I need is a black-and-gold suit-and-tie combo, a Mercy Hospital reference and some guy giving away his home address in front of millions of people on the internet … and I’m in.

I’m a sucker for stuff like that. I expect nothing short of 17-0 this year now.

But back to my original point, Mayor O’Connor. If McCarthy wants the Super Bowl parade to start at his old house in Greenfield next February, is the snow from this year’s blizzard still going to be there?

We may need to do something about that.

Here’s this week’s “U mad, bro?”

I’m not big on the Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy as their new head coach. I called the decision tone deaf and uninspired. @Iron67Mike disagrees.

Hmm. That’s the same kind of “might” I heard the last nine years under Tomlin.

This guy nails it.

Exactly. For a franchise that claimed to be “blown away” by a candidate they weren’t expecting 19 years ago, they didn’t allow that to happen this time.

They interviewed a former assistant, a guy from up the road and one defensive coordinator who used to play and coach in the division.

I didn’t want to pick either of the Rams guys, frankly. I wanted Jesse Minter or one of the Kubiaks. But even if they didn’t want to interview those three, at least listen to Chris Shula or Nathan Scheelhaase in person. Not just on Zoom.

 

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Trent from Montana sent me this after I lobbied for Minter or one of the Kubiak brothers as opposed to Mike McCarthy.

“Maybe Minter preferred (Lamar) Jackson (in Baltimore) to whoever the QB will be next year in Pittsburgh.”

Or Baltimore offered more. Or both.

Leo didn’t like my question to Mike McCarthy at Tuesday’s introductory news conference.

No. But McCarthy might have said, “I talked to Aaron, and he doesn’t want to come back.”

He might have said, “We had a lot of good years together, but I’ve been tasked to develop a new quarterback.”

He might have said, “I’ve reached out to Aaron and haven’t heard back.”

I really didn’t know what he was going to say. And neither did you. That’s …. um … why I asked the question.

The only thing I knew was that when Art Rooney II announced Mike Tomlin’s resignation, he said Rodgers was unlikely to return. McCarthy’s presence changes that landscape. That’s why I asked, Leo.

Make sense?

Brian also didn’t like that line of questioning and would’ve preferred that I get more confrontational with Art Rooney II and Omar Khan.

Brian, allow me to clear up a few things:

1. No one got a second question. My goal Tuesday was to write about the McCarthy-Rodgers connection. Had I gotten a second question, that’s what I was going to bring up.

2. I got an answer that appeared to be honest, transparent and provided some news value (that he and Rodgers have actually spoken).

Contrary to what you just said, you didn’t actually know that before I asked. So … you’re welcome.

The last time a Steelers official spoke (Rooney when Tomlin resigned), his answer was 180 degrees the other way on Rodgers.

3. I asked the second question of the presser. I couldn’t control what the next 18 people were going to ask.

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4. Press conferences aren’t the forum to express your opinions. That’s what talk shows and columns are for. That’s why I work on those platforms too. Press conferences are to get information, quotes and statements on the record from the people you cover.

For someone who is trying to position themselves as a person worthy of lecturing others on how journalism works, that’s something you’d be wise to figure out.

This person wants to know who the quarterback could possibly be if not Aaron Rodgers.

By this point in 2025, we didn’t know it was going to be Rodgers. By this point in 2024, we didn’t know it was going to be Russell Wilson and/or Justin Fields — let alone both.

Generally, I don’t like when people give “let’s wait and see” as an answer.

But in this case, I think it’s OK to at least say “let’s see” who shakes out as a UFA, trade bait, who drops in the draft or who jumps in the draft.

For at least a little while.

JB, a professor at “THEEE” Ohio State University, thinks we’ve been too negative about McCarthy coming on board here at TribLive.

I’m paid to be a columnist. The opinion part is in my job description. I’d think a “professor” at Ohio State would grasp that.

I wrote something similar about Arthur Smith when he was hired. I feel justified in that now. Maybe college is where he is meant to be. For your sake, I hope that’s true.

Either way, you can feel free to share your opinion with me sometime in November next year and let me know how it’s going in Columbus.

You’re allowed to have one. I think I am too.

Vince also thinks I was too harsh when it comes to hiring McCarthy.

“We’ve seen your dog (expletive) opinions long enough to know what they’re gonna be before they come out lol look forward to hearing how McCarthy doesn’t drink his coffee the correct way or walks on to the field in an unacceptable manner come September.”

I don’t care how McCarthy walks on the field in September. I only care if he is still walking on it in mid-January.

That is something the previous coach didn’t do his last nine years here, and something McCarthy has only done once in his last seven.

What I’m trying to say, delicately, is that if you are looking for dog (expletive), look at their recent postseason records.

Now, in terms of his coffee, I think we all know the right way to drink coffee.

Finally, Ray seems to think Mark Madden and I are down on the hiring of Mike McCarthy because we don’t embrace analytics.

“I think you and Madden are under the impression that because McCarthy is old that his mind is old. I think you and Madden are both wrong. And wrong about the impression that McCarthy will resist new things — like analytics. You and Madden are the guys that don’t know anything about analytics. I can’t ever remember either of you guys doing part 1, part 2, part 3, etc. story on the Steelers and football analytics.

McCarthy is gonna fool you guys. He embraces analytics. And I think he has convinced Rooney to change the Tomlin-imprinted scourge. Prob why he got a 5 yr contract.”

C’mon, Ray. I have zero problem with analytics. I embrace them. I do a radio show with Matt Williamson on “Fox Sports Pittsburgh 970” once a week. I quote his work regularly. I’m just not beholden to analytics, and I don’t bow to the altar of them as you do, apparently.

But I’d rather fix Pittsburgh’s 37 broken snowplows than write a three-part series on analytics for any sport. That’s mind-numbing.

My issue with McCarthy has little to do with his age and nothing to do with analytics. I have no idea what could’ve led you to believe that. If anyone is using ageism here, it’s you by presuming two writers in their 50s (or older) don’t like “them thar newfangled numbers n’at!”

My issue with McCarthy is that he doesn’t win in the playoffs anymore, and that he may stick with a 42-year-old QB.

And, when it comes to being 42, based on how Rodgers played toward the end of last year and versus playoff teams, I think being ageist is OK.

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