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At the end of this week, we\u2019ll be through the Pittsburgh Steelers\u2019 offseason program and into the long wait for training camp. But in the grand scheme of things, we\u2019re just at the beginning of the Mike McCarthy era in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
One storyline from the early parts of his time with the Steelers is the intense practices he\u2019s running. Multiple beat writers and players have taken notice, and the response has been positive. But former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger does have one question.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe new coaching staff has these guys like, they\u2019re moving and grooving and running, there\u2019s no slowing down, there\u2019s no sitting down. From what I\u2019ve heard, it\u2019s kind of eye-opening; it\u2019s a change. And change isn\u2019t always bad, by any means,\u201d Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his Footbahlin podcast. \u201cFrom what I\u2019m hearing on this staff, it\u2019s like go, go, go, okay, what\u2019s gonna happen on the backend of this? Are guys gonna be worn out by the time week whatever comes, because they\u2019re going so much in camp? So, it will be interesting to see. But obviously, McCarthy\u2019s not a newbie\u2026 He knows what he\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
As an established coach, McCarthy doesn\u2019t have to do as much to win over a locker room. There were a couple of players supportive from the jump at his introductory press conference. Obviously, no player would speak ill of their new head coach, but the reception from the players has been very positive regarding Mike McCarthy.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s extending into the practice changes as well. T.J. Watt noted last week that there weren\u2019t any benches at practice, simultaneously making a remark that \u201cchange is good\u201d.<\/p>\n
For what it\u2019s worth, Roethlisberger isn\u2019t the only one to voice a small worry about players getting tired as the year goes on. Speaking about the intense practices, Mark Kaboly remarked in late May that \u201cyou can\u2019t really do that throughout the whole season\u201d. It will be interesting to see if McCarthy\u2019s practices have a similar intensity during training camp in Latrobe.<\/p>\n
While McCarthy\u2019s teams haven\u2019t always been successful in the postseason, he doesn\u2019t have a long history of fading down the stretch. And as Roethlisberger mentions, he\u2019s got plenty of experience managing rosters late in the regular season. He may simply want to set the tone early as he introduces a new culture into the building.<\/p>\n
Roethlisberger has remained supportive of Mike McCarthy since the hiring was announced. But he does note one issue that could arise if McCarthy\u2019s intense practices become the norm.<\/p>\n