Steelers’ Mike McCarthy really hates cell phones at press conference

The Pittsburgh Steelers laid an absolute egg against the New York Jets on Friday night, and head coach Mike McCarthy clearly had zero patience for any postgame distractions.

Following an ugly 17-0 preseason shutout loss at Acrisure Stadium, McCarthy was busy breaking down his team’s offensive struggles during the postgame press conference when a reporter’s cell phone loudly interrupted him. The veteran coach didn’t hesitate to address the ringing device.

“Please, shut that thing off. I mean, my goodness,” McCarthy snapped.2

He didn’t miss a beat, immediately jumping right back into answering the question as if nothing happened. But if anyone understands why McCarthy felt a little on edge, a quick glance at the box score tells the whole story.

Pittsburgh’s offense looked completely out of sync from the opening whistle. With veteran quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph taking the night off, the young signal-callers struggled immensely against the Jets’ defense. Will Howard started the game and completed 10 of 15 passes for 74 yards, but he threw two costly interceptions in the first half while driving into New York territory. Drew Allar took over under center and finished 11 of 23 for 110 yards, while taking three sacks.

The ground game didn’t offer much relief, either. The Steelers managed just 98 rushing yards on 26 total carries. Running back Kaleb Johnson led the backfield with 10 carries for 39 yards and added two receptions for 15 yards. McCarthy specifically noted that Johnson got an extended look to evaluate his inside running ability, but admitted a healthier run game would have helped his struggling quarterbacks.

McCarthy added that the team failed to make contested catches and create separation on their routes. After a commanding 28-9 victory over the Green Bay Packers just eight days prior, this disjointed performance gives the coaching staff plenty of tape to clean up. For now, reporters in Pittsburgh might want to double-check their phone settings before the next presser.

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