The Pittsburgh Steelers enter their bye week at 6-2, but former franchise icons James Harrison and Joe Haden are making sure the locker room maintains a championship perspective.
On the latest episode of the “Deebo and Joe” podcast, both former stars acknowledged head coach Mike McCarthy’s early success in adjusting scheme elements, fixing blocking gaps, and reviving a stagnant run game. Haden gave full credit to McCarthy’s willingness to self-evaluate rather than stand on the status quo.
"There has to be something said to coaching and being able to switch some stuff up and now it looks better than it did and it looks like we're going in the right direction,” said Haden. “McCarthy is self-scouting, self-evaluating, looking to seeing what they're
doing good, what they're doing bad, and makes changes."
However, Harrison immediately tempered any premature regular-season celebrations. For Harrison, stacking wins before January is merely a prerequisite, not the standard set by legendary predecessors Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin.
"The goal wasn't, you know, to go from winning season to winning season, bro. The goal is to go from winning season to winning championships, okay? And that's why we hired Mike McCarthy. Like, so for me, anything that isn't advancing into the playoffs and winning minimum, it justifies the change we made. The thing that's going to be winning winning is holding that Lombardi trophy at the end of the season, that’s winning winning."
Haden echoed that sentiment, noting that elite franchises don't get caught up in midseason records because their true focus begins in the postseason.
While McCarthy’s tactical adaptability has turned Pittsburgh into an AFC North leader, Harrison made it clear that final judgment will be reserved for the playoff stage. In Pittsburgh, regular-season turnarounds earn praise, but only Lombardi Trophies define success.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: James Harrison and Joe Haden evaluate Mike McCarthy's 6-2 start
