Ever since Greenfield native Mike McCarthy got hired as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the question has been asked: “How much does it really matter that he is from Pittsburgh?”
Right now it does.
Based on the initial reaction when McCarthy was named as Mike Tomlin’s replacement, the only thing that seemed to quell the negativity was his introductory press conference. McCarthy presented himself in a black-and-gold outfit, with him crying in front of his family over how much it meant that he was going to be the head coach of Pittsburgh’s NFL team.
“Pittsburgh’s my world,” McCarthy said last week at Acrisure Stadium. “It’s just awesome to be back here.”
I don’t doubt that. I 100% believe that every ounce of emotion McCarthy displayed about coaching his hometown team was genuine. Those weren’t crocodile tears rolling down McCarthy’s cheeks. They were legit.
Pittsburgh is his world pic.twitter.com/Hdudjh5vwM
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 27, 2026
Beyond the feel-good connectivity of moments like that, though, I just don’t know how much it’ll matter seven months from now once the Steelers’ 2026 regular season is underway.
I can only base my conclusions on what I already know. And that knowledge is compared to what happened when the Steelers hired Bill Cowher to replace Chuck Noll after the 1991 season.
Do you remember when it mattered when Cowher was from Pittsburgh?
• It mattered when Cowher was hired.
• It mattered when Cowher won Game 1 of his career with a fake punt pass to Warren Williams en route to beating the hated Houston Oilers in the Astrodome in 1992.
September 6, 1992
Bill Cowher's NFL regular season head coaching debut for the #Steelers — the first time in 24 years that Chuck Noll isn't leading the troops
After trailing 14-0 early, Pittsburgh scores 13 unanswered second-half points to upset the favored Oilers, 29-24. pic.twitter.com/VL21xsZS76
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) September 6, 2024
• It mattered when Cowher won division titles five times in his first six years.
• It mattered when Cowher went to the Super Bowl in 1995 and when he won it in 2005.
Do you remember when it didn’t matter that Cowher was from Pittsburgh?
• When he lost AFC playoff games in 1992, ‘93, ‘94, ‘96, ‘97, 2001, ‘02 and ‘04.
• When he failed to make the playoffs in 1998-2000, 2003 and 2006.
• When he lost Super Bowl XXX and four different AFC title games at home.
In those instances, Cowher wasn’t the good ol’ boy from Crafton. He was a dunce from Carlynton who couldn’t win the big one.
In a way, being the local guy worked against Cowher in those circumstances. Because the rest of us from Peters, McKeesport, Churchill and Shaler clearly would’ve done better, right?
Obviously.
McCarthy is going to have to deal with that push and pull. All of the lovey-dovey stuff from last week’s press conference aside, I think we all know that the minute that McCarthy punts when the fans want him to go for it, the fact that he grew up on Greenfield Avenue won’t matter a lick.
For the next seven months, though, it will. McCarthy can’t lose any games between now and early September. Whatever doubt and jaundiced views Steelers’ fans may have of this hire will be mollified by the fact that McCarthy puts fries on his salad and pronounces the backup quarterback’s name “Haherrd” instead of “Howard.”
That’ll get some dubious fans under the tent.
There’s no reason why it should. But it will. It’s just human nature.
As it is human nature to eat our own when the Steelers lose in Cleveland and can’t at least cover the spread against the Bengals in Cincinnati.
Welcome home, Mike. Enjoy the honeymoon period while it lasts.
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LISTEN: Mark Madden and Tim Benz host this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast.