Mike McCarthy Is Using An Interesting Tactic To Keep The Steelers Alive Every Game

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a hard team to gauge when it comes to what the expectation should be for the franchise during the 2026 season. The roster is talented, but the group is older than most teams in the league. On top of that, basically an entirely new coaching staff is entering the fold in 2026. That is a lot of change to get used to in such a short time, but fresh coaching techniques could help take a team to where it wants to go. Mike Vrabel was able to bring the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl in his first year with the team after the franchise picked fourth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. This shows that a new coach can change things for the better.

The hiring of Mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh broke from a lot of trends for the organization, and that was good to see as the franchise is typically one that gets stuck in its own way of doing things. The last three head coaches that were hired by Pittsburgh were first-time head coaches that had a background on the defensive side of the ball. McCarthy is the opposite. He is experienced as this is his third stop as a head coach in the NFL, and he is an offensive-minded coach that calls the plays on that side of the ball for the Steelers.

McCarthy's experience has helped teach him a lot of lessons, and he is applying those lessons to the Steelers in 2026. Beat writer Mike DeFabo of The Athletic recently discussed part of McCarthy's approach when it comes to keeping players fresh.

"Mike McCarthy might be 62 years old, but he’s not old-school," DeFabo wrote. "He often talks about analytics, GPS monitoring and sports science guiding his decision-making. Before each game, McCarthy’s staff puts together a playing-time projection report. The idea is to keep players fresh deeper into games and also deeper into seasons."