Steelers' Mike McCarthy Installing Modern Strategy Compared To Mike Tomlin's Outdated Ways

The Pittsburgh Steelers have went through a total coaching change ahead of the 2026 NFL season. The franchise's previous coach, Mike Tomlin, stepped down after Pittsburgh suffered a blowout playoff loss in the 2025 Wild Card Round. He has since moved on to the media side of football. This paved the way for the Steelers to hire a hometown coach in veteran Mike McCarthy. Now, the team is going through its first stretch of legitimate offseason activities with a new head coach, and the way that the sessions are being run seems to be completely different. 

Tomlin was the head coach for 19 years, but a change appeared necessary for a team that has not won a playoff game since the 2016 campaign. The consistent non-losing season, but not making it out of the first round of the playoffs, had many fans frustrated. Tomlin had a very particular way of doing things that some often saw as being "old school". With this regime change, things are becoming a lot different. 

The current Rookie Minicamp has given a sneak peek into some of the strategies that McCarthy will administer. Though most of the players in this camp are new to the team or unfamiliar, it's trending to be a lot different. This fresh way of practicing and developing players is a change from Tomlin. 

Steelers insider Mark Kaboly broke down a lot of key differences in an article he posted on X. Kaboly keyed in on a "different vibe" he felt in these practices compared to covering the team in years prior. 

"If you think it is going to be status quo with the organization because they hired a veteran coach like McCarthy to replace Mike Tomlin after 19 years, think again," Kaboly wrote. "Pretty much everything that the team did on Saturday was different than when Tomlin was in charge. The philosophy, the drills, the timing of meetings, not having practice on Mother’s Day, which was a Tomlin staple, all were different."

Naturally, the practices would be run differently from coach to coach, but the two are similar in age and experience, so it would make sense if they did things more "old school". However, McCarthy has taken a more modern approach, instilling his offensive-minded philosophy, like working one-on-one with quarterback Drew Allar, and using plenty of new equipment, which wasn't used before. 

McCarthy was seen being super hands-on in practices, coaching players a lot individually, especially Allar. His way of running things will mark a huge change in the way the organization will prepare. Already, the coaching staff has expanded since Tomlin. 

McCarthy has added coaches who fit into his philosophy and have a similar idea of how to develop players and get the most out of veterans. His staff includes a mixture of veteran and young coaches to ensure that a variety of voices and experience levels are heard. McCarthy is keeping it fresh, even after 18 years as a head coach in the NFL. 

McCarthy Is Changing How The Steelers' Quarterbacks Are Developed

Pittsburgh made a splash when it used its first of three third-round picks on Allar in the NFL Draft. He is widely considered an extremely raw prospect who needs a lot of attention on his footwork and ability to go through his progressions at an NFL level. McCarthy has been called the "quarterback guru" a lot throughout his career, and already in rookie minicamp, his attention on developing Allar is apparent. 

McCarthy spent a lot of time with Allar, showing him the ropes and what he expects from the young signal-caller. All of this is a complete switch from Tomlin, as he was a defensive-minded coach and didn't spend much time working with quarterbacks. The offensively-driven style of McCarthy was on full display in rookie minicamp, and his complete philosophy switch was obvious from the get-go. 

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