The First Steelers Player Speaks Out On Hiring Of Mike McCarthy

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a transitionary period that they haven't gone through since 2007. Ever since the team hired new head coach Mike McCarthy, the team has had to answer plenty of questions about which players and staff will be staying or leaving the team. The overall mood regarding the hire is generally low from most Steelers fans, while higher with the ownership and staff. All of this will eventually be overlooked if McCarthy ends up taking the team to the playoffs and potentially making deep playoff runs. The internal change that comes with hiring a new head coach has definitely been a hot topic discussed by current players.

One of these current players who talked about what the change will entail is Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith, as like a lot of the established veterans on the team, he has only ever played for one head coach in the NFL -- that being former head coach Mike Tomlin. Highsmith recently appeared on an episode of The Christian Kuntz Podcast to give his thoughts on his time in Pittsburgh so far, along with how much Tomlin has impacted his life. His most interesting comments, however, were the ones referring to how he feels about McCarthy coming in to coach the Steelers. When he was asked about how he feels about the change between Tomlin and McCarthy, he gave some particularly insightful comments.

"But, you know, I'm really excited for it," Highsmith said. "You know he's a Pittsburgh guy. You know, he's a Yinzer. So, just the passion that he has for this city, for the organization, for the Steelers, I think it's something that is really awesome. You know, a lot of people are going to like him and I'm just excited to get to work with them. And just to see what the future has planned, but you know what I'm excited for. It's definitely going to be different, 'cause all I've known since I've been in the league is Mike T. Growing up, I was a Panthers fan, but even if you weren't a Steelers fan, you knew of Mike Tom. It's gonna be different, but I'm excited for what's ahead."

Highsmith's comment on McCarthy having passion for the city is definitely warranted, considering how much emotion McCarthy showed in his introductory press conference on Tuesday. It may prove to be all the difference needed to ensure McCarthy can take this team to heights they haven't seen since they last won a playoff game in the 2016 season, but only time will tell. Nonetheless, Highsmith seems to be ready for whatever McCarthy's tenure will bring to the Steelers. He had also remarked that a lot of players are excited to work with Coach McCarthy, which shows just what kind of leadership McCarthy will be able to bring to the table. As one of the leaders on the team, McCarthy will need to rely on Highsmith's experience to get settled in with the Steelers.

After the Steelers were thoroughly humiliated by the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, the team knew change was needed. This change coming in the form of an entirely new head coach may not have been what a lot of players had seen coming, but this type of change is incredibly important for future success. Along with this change, the Steelers will need to see the veterans on the team be at the forefront of these changes.

Steelers Need To Rely On Veterans To Help McCarthy Establish New Culture

With a complete overhaul to a team's coaching staff, this will also completely change the culture within the locker room. McCarthy and the other new coaches coming in will need to rely on the leadership from the veteran players, including Highsmith, to get their footing and help establish this new culture with the younger players. In terms of whether or not this new culture will be something the players buy into, only time will tell.

What did you think about Highsmith's comments about McCarthy's upcoming tenure? Let us know in the comments below.

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