Terry Bradshaw didn’t waste any time pretending to be impartial on FOX’s Week 1 pregame show.
When the panel on FOX NFL Sunday was asked which new head coach he was most eager to watch, Bradshaw went straight to his own roots. “I’m biased,” he said before naming Mike McCarthy.
That answer fit the moment in Pittsburgh. The Steelers moved on from Mike Tomlin and brought in McCarthy, the former Packers and Cowboys head coach, and he’s now back alongside Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback he won a Super Bowl with in Green Bay. For Bradshaw, that reunion was the part worth circling.
Curt Menefee hosted the noon ET show with Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Rob Gronkowski and Jay Glazer on the set. Around the league, there were plenty of fresh faces in new places, with coaches such as John Harbaugh in New York and Todd Monken in Cleveland. Even with all of that movement, Bradshaw still made the Steelers his choice.
He made his case plainly: Pittsburgh needed the change, and McCarthy and Rodgers already know how to operate together. That connection, he said, is the storyline he wants to follow all season.
Bradshaw’s loyalty to Pittsburgh wasn’t exactly subtle. He is 78 and still a fixture on the FOX desk more than 30 years into the job.
Jimmy Johnson stepped away last year, and Bradshaw has previously pushed back on retirement, saying sitting still would age him. Sunday was another example of how he uses that platform - not to hide his lean, but to wear it.
The clip landed because he didn’t dance around it. Asked for the most exciting new coach, he didn’t reach for a safer answer. He chose the man taking over in black and gold.
That doesn’t mean he’ll give McCarthy a free pass all year. Bradshaw has been willing to rip the Steelers before if he thinks they deserve it.
But on opening Sunday, he had no interest in balancing the scales. He told viewers why he was locked in, then named the coach.
In Other News...
WVU Could Finally Add A Needed Weapon Against Virginia
West Virginia came out of the UT Martin game in good shape, and that alone gave Rich Rodriguez a little more room to breathe heading into a bigger test against Virginia. The Mountaineers are still trying to settle in offensively, but the possibility of getting wide receiver Prince Strachan into the mix offers a timely lift for a group that could use another proven target as quarterback Mike Hawkins Jr. continues to build rhythm with the passing game.
Strachan has been practicing with limited contact, and his status for the Virginia game may hinge on how he handles the next stretch of practices. If that goes well, West Virginia could finally add another weapon to an offense that already needs every available piece, especially with the Mountaineers looking to sharpen the connection between Hawkins and a deeper receiver rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Jahiem White Is Already Reopening An Old WVU What-If
Two weeks after his return to the field, Jahiem White is already stirring up one of those old West Virginia questions that never really goes away. Now playing for North Texas under Neal Brown, White opened his season with 61 rushing yards and a touchdown against Indiana, then followed it with a 124-yard, one-score outing that pushed him past 2,000 career rushing yards.
For Mountaineers fans, the pull is obvious. White was already the programs 27th all-time leading rusher before a season-ending knee injury interrupted his time in Morgantown, and his latest run of production only adds fuel to the sense that WVU once had a back capable of being much more than a steady contributor. The what-if is back on the table, even if the answer will have to wait. [Read more 🡒]
Rich Rodriguez Just Framed West Virginias Biggest Concerns Before Virginia
Rich Rodriguez spent part of his media session Wednesday laying out the pressure points West Virginia is carrying into its matchup with Virginia, and the focus started up front. He praised the experience and discipline of his defensive line, the kind of steady interior presence the Mountaineers will need if they want to control the game and avoid chasing it from the opening series.
Rodriguez also pointed to the challenge posed by one of Virginias players, a reminder that this one may hinge on a few individual matchups as much as overall structure. On the roster front, he said one player has a hearing scheduled for Thursday in Indiana, while Talleys injury status remains day-to-day with a possible return in one to two weeks, leaving West Virginia with a little more uncertainty as kickoff approaches. [Read more 🡒]
