‘Takes The Schedule As A Competition:’ How Mike McCarthy Is ‘Waging War’ Against Other Head Coaches

In football, there are games within the actual game itself that make all the difference in the world when it comes to winning and losing.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy previously talked about 55 offensive touches needed per game — passing and rushing combined — to win games. But according to Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz, there’s another deeper game McCarty competes in, one that showed up during training camp.

It has to do with how detailed McCarthy is with his practice schedule, down to exact seconds a practice starts and ends.

“Coach McCarthy kinda said that he takes the schedule so seriously, how to give players off time, how to run a practice, how to manage running a walkthrough, what scripted plays. He takes the schedule as a competition between him and the other 31 coaches,” Kuntz said on the latest episode of his podcast that published Thursday morning, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “And, like, I never thought of it that way. And when I heard that from him, I was like, ‘Okay, whoa.’”

Coaches aren’t on the field competing in the game, but they are right there in the day to day, looking for any edge that they can find to help lead their team to success. McCarthy, who has been around the game a long time, is a competitive person, and competing directly against opposing coaches isn’t just in the plays he calls in games.

It’s also about how he structures a practice, how he sets up a week of preparation. Details matter to McCarthy, and that was apparent throughout training camp.

The players see it, too.

McCarthy’s about competing against the other 31 head coaches from a schedule and preparation standpoint had an impact on Kuntz.

“It was sick. It was a cool comment and something that stuck with me that I was like, ‘Whoa, that’s a cool way to look at it.’ This guy’s kind of like, he’s waging war already based on his schedule, and he’s trying to get an advantage on the schedule,” Kuntz said. “And obviously, all coaches are the most competitive people ever. And [Mike] Tomlin had his ways of competitive advantages and how he wanted to try to get ahead. And it’s cool to see how different approaches, but how similar they are as well.

“Like, obviously, every coach’s main goal is to win, right? And both Coach Tomlin and McCarthy have emphasized that winning is our business and that’s all we give a shit about.”

Winning is all that matters. How you get there is different though.

Tomlin had a certain way of doing things for 19 years and had a lot of success. McCarthy is now bringing a different perspective, and he’s placing a major emphasis on the minute details throughout the week in an effort to find that competitive edge and make sure his team is as prepared as possible each and every week.

We’ll see if it translates to success, but his new approach is leaving a lasting impact on players.