​The Pittsburgh Steelers are asking Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy to revive an offense in need of direction without having to start their relationship from scratch. After 13 seasons together in Green Bay, the quarterback and coach already understand how the other thinks, communicates and handles the pressure that comes with trying to win immediately.That history gives Pittsburgh a valuable head start as McCarthy installs his offense and an advantage over most teams that hire new head coaches. They can skip much of the early work that comes with a new coach and quarterback.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Having McCarthy there now… it just gives Aaron a comfort level of like, all right, we’ve been together before,” former Steelers receiver Adam Thielen said while guest-hosting SiriusXM NFL Radio’s “The Players Point” podcast.Thielen’s take comes from seeing Rodgers operate up close. He caught passes from Rodgers in Pittsburgh during the final season of his career before retiring in January. Rodgers won’t need weeks of practices to explain his preferences at the line, how he wants routes adjusted or why he changes protections. McCarthy has already lived through it.“He knows me. I don’t have to prove anything to him. He doesn’t have to prove anything to me,” Thielen said. “We know each other, and we’ve worked together. We’ve been in good times and bad times. We’ve kind of been through it all.”The good times were significant. Rodgers and McCarthy defeated the Steelers in Super Bowl 45, reached four NFC championship games together and went 15-1 in 2011. The bad included repeated playoff exits, public questions about the offense and a strained final season that ended with McCarthy’s midseason firing after Green Bay fell to 4-7-1 in 2018.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhile the foundation is familiar, Rodgers admitted to battling with McCarthy on some changes he made during his time with Dak Prescott in Dallas. Overall, though, their history gives the Steelers something most teams changing coaches don’t have: a quarterback who understands the head coach’s language and a coach who knows when to give him freedom.“Okay, I don’t have to learn a new coach. I don’t have to learn a new system,” Thielen said about the Rodgers-McCarthy reunion. “I don’t have to prove that these things that I’ve kind of done my whole career work.”For a Pittsburgh offense trying to establish its identity quickly given the one-year window with Rodgers at the helm, that familiarity is valuable. It should speed up installation, sharpen communication and, better yet, let training camp focus more on timing with receivers than negotiating how the offense should function.This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Mike McCarthy gives Aaron Rodgers a rare Steelers edge