You knew as soon as the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens became unexpected members of this year’s coaching cycle that one of them would hire a young, untested riser of a defensive coordinator as its new head coach.
You just didn’t think it would be the Ravens.
Neither did I. That is supposed to be the Steelers’ way.
I’m not saying the Ravens will be proven right here. I just happen to prefer how they have gone about their business since the season ended. I like big swings. I’d rather try for a home run than choke up and hit a single.
I liked the Ravens hiring of Jesse Minter as coach and 29-year-old Declan Doyle — understudy of Sean Payton and Ben Johnson — as a first-time offensive coordinator (the Steelers and Ravens hired similar defensive coordinators in Patrick Graham and Anthony Weaver, respectively; both in mid-40s, both viewed as having overachieved with talent-challenged defenses).
That doesn’t mean the safe path is worse. Sometimes it’s preferable. But again, if you’d have told me exactly how this would play out over the past month, I’d have chosen the Ravens’ route — and I’m guessing I’m not alone in that.
First of all, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti had the guts to fire 18-year coach John Harbaugh, who unlike Mike Tomlin has actually won some playoff games lately. Just not enough of them with an MVP-level quarterback.
Bisciotti wanted something better. Steelers president Art Rooney II did not. He was willing to “take another run” with 19-year coach Mike Tomlin even though the Steelers have not come close to winning a playoff game in nine years and have finished the past five with records of 10-8, 10-8, 10-8, 9-8 and 9-7-1 with a cumulative point differential of minus-143.
Rooney, clearly, was willing to live with that, hoping something would suddenly change, when Tomlin did Rooney’s job for him by resigning. But all that did was prompt Rooney to hire Tomlin 2.0 in Mike McCarthy, whose resume could not be more similar to Tomlin’s, even if they specialize on different sides of the ball.
Both started fast. Both won a Super Bowl within five years. Both underachieved with Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks in their prime. Both eventually forgot how to win playoff games. McCarthy has one playoff win in his past seven seasons. Tomlin’s last playoff win — the last time he even came close — was against Alex Smith’s Kansas City Chiefs in the 2016 season.
Among the coaches who have won a playoff game since then are Mike Mularkey, Brian Daboll, Mike Zimmer, Chuck Pagano, Jason Garrett, Anthony Lynn and Bill O’Brien. Mike Vrabel just won as many playoff games in 25 days as Tomlin in the past 15 years (look it up).
But yes, Art wanted to “take another run.”
Anyway, the Steelers had a virtual interview with Minter in mid-January. He seemed like an obvious candidate, his resume falling in line with those of Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Tomlin — sharp, young defensive coordinator (though at 42, eight years older than Tomlin when Tomlin was hired) who could grow his own program. And who as it turns out would do it with an untested but imaginative mind running the offense.
The Steelers, however, seemed smitten with the McCarthy idea from the start and hired him the instant they had satisfied all the NFL regulations for interviewing candidates. Minter, to my knowledge, was not invited for a second interview.
McCarthy is indisputably a good play caller who has run excellent offenses (although ones that fall flat in the playoffs in recent years). His age is a non-issue, as Andy Reid, Payton, Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick all won big games well into their 60s.
Doyle we don’t know about. He is only 29. But as SI’s Albert Breer put it after Doyle left Ben Johnson’s Bears, where he was the coordinator in name only, “the chance to call plays with a quarterback who’s won two MVPs was tough to pass up for obvious reasons — the wunderkind (Doyle) will get the chance to run an offense for a defensive coach he respects and with an elite quarterback.”
Maybe I’m just more fascinated with the unknown. Maybe that just seems more exciting. Both these programs were stale. Both seemed to be crying out for something new, something edgy, something risky.
The Ravens went risky. The Steelers stayed safe. And there’s no honeymoon period in either spot.
Lamar Jackson’s prime years are running thin. The Steelers appear to be intent on bringing back Aaron Rodgers (“That’s the plan,” McCarthy told KDKA’s Bob Pompeani), not to mention T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward. These are win-now organizations.
Who’ll be proven right?
Get your popcorn ready.