The Pittsburgh Steelers experienced heartbreak for the fourth consecutive Thursday Night Football game in Cleveland. Right now, the Steelers are adapting to the coaching style of their new head coach, Mike McCarthy. Hence, many people are blaming McCarthy for Pittsburgh’s 2-2 start in the 2026 season. But according to Steelers reporter Mark Madden, McCarthy shouldn’t be the one to blame.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Madden acknowledged the scenario as a chaotic one, with the Steelers diving into frustration. And there were some instances in the game against the Cleveland Browns that felt like scenarios from a high school. Of course, Madden was talking about the profanity-filled exchange between Aaron Rodgers and the head coach, and T.J. Watt shouting at Patrick Graham over the headset.
The sports commentator further highlighted the missed tackles, dropped passes, and “dumb penalties” troubling the Steelers throughout the game. Even though the Browns were more indisciplined in the game (14 penalties), the Steelers suffered through eight penalties and lost 50 yards.
“It’s just a slop-fest,” Madden wrote. “It would be easy to blame McCarthy, the new guy, and lots of agendas get served by doing that. I go in the opposite direction.
“It feels like, after 19 years of Mike Tomlin, the jerky kids in the class are treating McCarthy like a substitute teacher. Like certain players resent actually being coached. They miss the familiar laissez-faire mushy-middle method.”
Weighing in on the scuffle between Rodgers and McCarthy, Madden speculated that maybe the quarterback didn’t “like hearing a familiar voice” who knew more about the game. And that, according to Madden, is devaluing Art Rooney’s name.
Well, Mike Tomlin led the Steelers for 19 years from 2007 to 2025. He knows the team inside and out. And the Steelers still played with the Tomlin mindset at the Week 4 game. That’s what former Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell suggested on the White House with Michael Irvin podcast.
“That would never happen if Mike Tomlin is on that sideline,” Bell said as he weighed in on the Watt and Rodgers situation. “He’s never grabbing that headset, screaming up at whoever. I don’t even know who he was yelling at. He’s yelling at the D coordinator? Who’s he yelling at? With Mike Tomlin, that’s never happening with him. But you can see that’s the change in culture now. It’s like a different change of culture when I’m looking at it on the sideline. I’m like, man, the Steelers look different.”
Nevertheless, the Steelers’ current head coach is looking forward to a clean house. He confirmed that the team would stay focused on the Week 5 game against the Indianapolis Colts. Furthermore, he expects him and the coaching staff to get “clear factors” on what they need to do to clean the Steelers’ house.
Blaming Mike McCarthy may be convenient. But Madden’s criticism reveals a spoiled locker room that’s resisting change. If the Steelers truly want to fix their sloppy, self-inflicted mistakes, the players must accept McCarthy’s authority.