The Atlanta Falcons are already in a less-than-ideal spot for Week 1.
They’ll be starting Cooper Rush at quarterback on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, on the road, because Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix will both miss the season opener due to injury.
Rush has been mostly a backup in his career, with fill-in stints along the way with both the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens.
He was particularly bad last season when Lamar Jackson got hurt, so much so that he himself was benched in favor of fellow backup Tyler Huntley.
All of that is concerning in its own right. The Falcons want to get the ball efficiently to Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Rush isn’t guaranteed to do that well.
But there’s something else specific to this matchup that’s flying under the radar that, if anything, could make things even a bit tougher for Rush.
How Steelers Raise Added Concern
Rush has never played for the Steelers, but he has played for the Steelers’ head coach.
Mike McCarthy took the job in his hometown of Pittsburgh this offseason after Mike Tomlin stepped away from the Steelers’ job.
McCarthy previously was the head coach of the Cowboys.
Rush played his first three seasons under Jason Garrett, but then he had five years playing for McCarthy.
McCarthy is an offensive coach, which means he won’t necessarily be doing the defensive gameplanning for Pittsburgh. But that also means that when he was in Dallas, he was working closely with Rush. He probably knows him just about as well as a quarterback as anyone in the NFL would know Rush.
Rush ended up starting 14 games for McCarthy when Dak Prescott had to miss time, and he had a 9-5 record in those games.
With McCarthy calling the shots, Rush threw 20 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions while in a Cowboys uniform during McCarthy’s tenure.
Rush was really only given a shot by McCarthy. Under Garrett, Rush got into five games but attempted just three passes total.
Only with McCarthy leading the way did Rush get entrusted with the backup gig that eventually allowed him to earn the occasional spot start.
Will This Matter?
That’s the age-old question, isn’t it?
Conceptually, McCarthy probably has some intel he can give the Steelers’ defensive coaches and players about Rush’s tendencies or movements.
Still, Rush is in an entirely different offense with a brand new set of teammates. There’ll be plenty that McCarthy can’t help solve for the Steelers just because he used to coach Rush.
It is ironic, though, that the situation that already isn’t good for the Falcons has this layer that makes it even a little bit worse.
Falcons Have Extra Reason for Cooper Rush Worry