Mike Tomlin spent nearly two decades orchestrating Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, so this summer's glowing reviews can't be fun to read if you are the former head coach. He lives in Pittsburgh; it's not something he can easily ignore. Players aren't directly criticizing their former coach, but their excitement over Mike McCarthy keeps identifying pieces the old regime lacked.
DK Metcalf has praised McCarthy for repeating failed offensive plays so that mistakes can be corrected immediately. After seven NFL seasons under defensive-minded head coaches, Metcalf had never received that treatment from the man running his team.
Pittsburgh's first McCarthy practices have added speed, extra stations, and far less waiting. Those changes leave Tomlin in the uncomfortable position of watching his former players discover a more efficient way to work.
Mike McCarthy’s fast-paced camp exposes what Mike Tomlin lacked as the Pittsburgh Steelers HC
McCarthy personally runs the offense, from quarterback footwork to the timing of practice periods. Tomlin delegated that development to a revolving cast of coordinators, and Pittsburgh never built a dependable offensive process during the post-Ben Roethlisberger years.
Pittsburgh averaged only 58.2 offensive plays per game in 2025, according to Statrankings.com. Meanwhile, McCarthy's teams have averaged 64.8 plays per game, resulting in a quicker camp pace than what we've been accustomed to seeing under Tomlin.
Additionally, Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot recently reported watching two simultaneous 11-on-11 periods. This training camp practice also featured two groups of punt gunners and six JUGS machines eliminate lines, and Kozora noted that centers and quarterbacks also worked separately before team drills. Clearly, McCarthy's operation wastes fewer reps than Tomlin's previous squads.
Today's NFL includes GPS tracking data that now regulates player workloads, live tackling has been removed, and benches have disappeared from the field. McCarthy has modernized the full training operation while preserving the workload players need for Sundays.
Drew Allar is already having his processing and footwork reworked by a staff that demands purpose from every repetition. Immediate do-overs should help the rookie quarterback turn those corrections into habits while the correction remains fresh in his head.
McCarthy also installed the two-minute offense on the first day and closed each of his first two practices with it. His reasoning centers on the number of NFL games decided on the final possession, especially once the playoffs arrive.
Four camp practices don't establish that McCarthy has fixed the offense or surpassed Tomlin as a head coach. They have left Tomlin hearing praise for changes he never made, and offensive-line coach James Campen supplied another comparison. Campen developed seven Pro Bowl linemen in Green Bay, and his new group now gets more reps with less hands-on-hips.
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