What Mike McCarthy Did and Didn't Like About Steelers First Practice

Mike McCarthy has a core set of fundamentals he wants the Pittsburgh Steelers to follow as he begins his first year as the team’s head coach.

Dubbed the “Steelers Six”, McCarthy listed ball security, blocking, tackling and breaking tackles, big plays, finish/pursuit and mannerisms/disguises as the core components for the team that they’ll be focusing on throughout training camp and working on during each practice session.

"Those six fundamentals are emphasized daily," McCarthy told reporters. "We have a period just for team fundamentals to emphasize that. Been doing it for a long time, I have great confidence. And frankly, evaluating the team last year, I think that's definitely I would say an asset moving forward."

McCarthy has already made his mark on the Steelers in terms of how he approaches training camp, practices and the entire process as head coach, providing a new outlook for the organization in the aftermath of Mike Tomlin’s 19-year tenure that ended with him stepping down in January.

Back in his hometown and heading into his 19th campaign as an NFL head coach with previous stops in Green Bay and Dallas, McCarthy appears determined to ingrain his own way of thinking into how the Steelers go about their business, and it might just end up working after years of the team being stuck in mediocrity.

Jul 29, 2026; Latrobe, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy watches the action during a practice session at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Steelers Must Continue Buying Into McCarthy’s Message

By all accounts, McCarthy’s messaging has resonated throughout Pittsburgh’s locker room thus far.

There seems to be plenty of buy-in amongst the players, and that’s the first step towards ensuring McCarthy’s time with the Steelers ultimately leads to putting wins up on the board and accomplishing their goals moving forward.

What’s been clear in the opening days of training camp is that McCarthy’s approach is far different than that of Tomlin’s. Both are veteran head coaches with impressive resumes, but the way in which they’ve overseen their respective operations differ quite drastically.

For example, there won't be any live tackling throughout training camp this year, which was a hallmark of Pittsburgh's physically-intense practices in Latrobe under Tomlin.

Furthermore, McCarthy has stressed the importance of focusing on all the little details and spoke about incorporating GPS tracking into all of the team's work.

It might take some time for the members of the Steelers' roster who played under Tomlin, especially those who were with him for an extended period of time, to adjust to McCarthy's system.

How Pittsburgh's work to close out the summer translates to the regular season remains to be seen, but the differences from prior years is staggering.

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