Even if it wasn’t met with much enthusiasm from the fan base, the Pittsburgh Steelers have hired Mike McCarthy as their next head coach.
After 18 years under Mike Tomlin, many fans in the Steel City were hoping the franchise would go in a different direction — one built around a younger, up-and-coming coach who could potentially lead the next era the way the previous hires did.
While it’s impossible to predict what the future holds, it’s fair to say McCarthy, 62, is not being viewed as a long-term 20-year solution.
The Steelers did have opportunities to make that kind of move. Candidates like Anthony Weaver, Brian Flores and Chris Shula all met with Pittsburgh during the interview process.
“We wound up bringing in three guys for in-person interviews — Brian Flores, Mike McCarthy, and Anthony Weaver — and then we sat down and talked about whether we had our man, or if we wanted to bring in more people for in-person interviews,” owner Art Rooney II said, via Steelers Depot. “We decided that Mike was the man for the job, and so we went ahead and offered him the job on Saturday.”
Rooney’s explanation, like McCarthy’s hiring itself, hasn’t landed well with some Steelers fans. But there may have been a clear reason why Pittsburgh didn’t push harder for at least one of the younger candidates.
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Rams Assistant May Have Blown Interview With Steelers
Going back to Jan. 24, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula was viewed by many as a leading candidate for the Steelers’ head coaching job. Then, almost out of nowhere, Pittsburgh announced McCarthy as its next coach.
Now there may be an explanation.
According to a report from Andrew Fillipponi, Shula did not impress during the interview process.
“Rams DC Chris Shula did not interview well for the Steelers HC job. In his virtual interview. Per sources. In fact, one person went as far as to say he ‘bombed’ the interview,” Fillipponi posted on X.
Kevin Demoff called out Fillipponi’s report, insisting there was “no truth to this” after talking to the Steelers.
Shula, 39, has been considered one of the league’s rising assistant coaches and a serious candidate to land a head coaching job during this cycle. If those reports are accurate, it could take a hit on his coaching stock, at least in the short term.
Rams Defense Under Chris Shula
In Shula’s second season as the Rams defensive coordinator, he helped improve the unit in several areas. Los Angeles moved from 26th to 17th in total defense, from 17th to 10th in scoring defense, and from 14th to fifth in takeaways.
During the regular season, the Rams allowed 20.4 points per game. The postseason told a different story, however.
While Shula’s defense wasn’t among the worst playoff units, it did allow 26.3 points per game. That included giving up 31 points to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game. They also gave up 31 to the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card.
To Shula’s credit, this was a Rams defense that arguably outperformed expectations. Injuries and depth issues, particularly in the secondary, made the season a challenge, and the group still managed to produce a strong overall finish.
But when it comes to Pittsburgh’s head coaching job, it appears that progress wasn’t enough — especially if concerns about his interview performance played a role in the Steelers going in a different direction.
Rams’ Chris Shula ‘Bombed’ Steelers Interview Before Mike McCarthy Hire: Report