“This underappreciated,” Brooks writes of McCarthy. “Super Bowl-winning head coach has a chance to cement his legacy with a strong run in Pittsburgh. McCarthy takes over a longtime winner that had plateaued under Mike Tomlin, but the roster still features enough veteran playmakers to make a jump from good to great under new direction.
“If the veteran coach can get Aaron Rodgers to play like a top-half quarterback in a system that minimizes his deficiencies as a 42-year-old — while simultaneously prodding defensive coordinator Patrick Graham to help the vaunted defense regain its swagger and suffocating style — the Steelers will make plenty of noise as contenders. Inherently, McCarthy could win his first Coach of the Year award.”
As Brooks argues, if McCarthy can somehow find a way to get Rodgers to play anywhere close to the level of his MVP best with the Packers, and the Steelers make a deep run, he’s going to command plenty of respect from award voters.
The Packers are unlikely to face Rodgers when Green Bay plays the Steelers in the preseason opener, but McCarthy will have a chance to go up against his former team during the exhibition slate.