Pittsburgh Steelers fans felt discouraged with the organization's decision at head coach. Just days after watching the Baltimore Ravens hire Jesse Minter—one of the best young defensive minds on the market—the Steelers went with the 62-year-old Mike McCarthy. This felt like a step in the wrong direction.
But somehow, the Cleveland Browns' decision at head coach is making Steelers fans instantly feel better about the McCarthy decision.
On Wednesday, ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported that the Browns are naming Todd Monken as the next head coach of their franchise. Monken, the former offensive coordinator of the Ravens, is 59 years old. He's been a coach at the college level since 1989, while bouncing back and forth between college and the NFL.
With over 35 years of football coaching experience, Monken knows the game well. Ironically, Monken was an offensive coordinator of the Browns for just one season in 2019—a season in which Cleveland ranked 22nd in the NFL in points scored and yards gained. The Browns finished 6-10 in Monken's lone season as the team's OC.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans can feel good about the Cleveland Browns' decision to hire Todd Monken as their head coach
It's not that Monken is a bad coach, but much mike McCarthy, the soon-to-be 60-year-old doesn't offer much hope for the long-term future of the team. Monken did some great things for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens' offense in recent years, but this hardly felt like the best choice for the Browns.
Cleveland was looking at young, innovative offensive minds to lead their team. The 30-year-old Grant Udinski—the OC of the Jaguars—was a finalist for the head coaching job in Cleveland. Likewise, the Browns were interested in 35-year-old Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase.
If both the Steelers and the Browns were to pick an aging, offensive-minded head coach, Pittsburgh got the one with the better track record.
Youth isn't everything at head coach, and we've seen older coaches (like Andy Reid and Bill Belichick) succeed in the NFL. Still, when a franchise requires a reset, it's usually a better team-building philosophy to go with a young, first-time coach who will bring energy and innovation to a team in need.
Todd Monken could prove us wrong, and this could turn out to be a great hire for the Cleveland Browns. But for now, Pittsburgh Steelers fans are feeling better about the Mike McCarthy decision after watching their AFC North rival pass on some of the best up-and-coming young minds in the league for Monken.