Mike Tomlin
August 12th 2009 20:05
An aspect of legendary coach Chuck Noll was that immediately after his Steelers won Super Bowls 9 and 13, he immediately began talking only about what improvements were required for the following year. He didn't allow his team to relax and enjoy their wins except for the few moments immediately after the game. Soon thereafter, he was all about the next year, and preparing for it.
The reason I recalled that was in a presser a day or two after the Steelers won SB43, coach Mike Tomlin basically traveled down that same exact path. "We're defending nothing," he claimed, stating (rightly) that the team will have tremendous turnover, and it will be a different team on the field. It will be a new year with new challenges, and the performance turned in last year is only in the past.
Mike Tomlin was elevated to Pittsburgh's head coach after only one year as a defensive coordinator in Minnesota. Prior to that, he worked extensively with Tony Dungy as the Bucs' secondary coach. He's defensive-minded, and is a proponent of the 4-3 scheme. So there were many things that were tremendously surprising about his hiring as Pittsburgh's head coach. The Steelers had run the 3-4 defense exclusively since 1991 (coinciding with the hiring of Bill Cowher). Tomlin wasn't a name that anyone really "knew" around the league; certainly he wasn't getting any press by outlets like ESPN or FoxSports when it came to discussing "hot" coordinators. There was also the fact that Pittsburgh already had two obviously well-qualified coaches internally - OC Ken Whisenhunt and offensive line coach Russ Grimm. Whisenhunt was lured by the Arizona Cardinals, especially when the Steelers front office was moving more slowly than he anticipated. Whisenhunt has said little about the experience, but one thinks that perhaps he saw the writing on the wall. Grimm was widely expected to get the job after Whis took the Cards job, both by local fans and media, and by the players. He was a known element. When Tomlin was named the coach, Grimm reportedly took it very badly, and immediately asked for his release from his contract. It was immediately granted, and Grimm went to Arizona to rejoin Whisenhunt.
The aftermath of the signing was that no one really knew who the Steelers had chosen. His players didn't know, nor did the local media guys or fans. The media guys scrambled to learn more about Tomlin, and in a city that believes the 3-4 defense is the ONLY way to play, a hiring of a 4-3 guy brought great consternation. Some of that was alleviated among the fans when it was announced that Tomlin was going to retain defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. That marked Tomlin's first A-plus decision in his tenure.
Tomlin entered his first training camp facing a mountain of problems. First, veterans like G Alan Faneca, were very critical of the hiring. Tomlin faced an internal mutiny from his own players right from the start; Faneca in particular was especially upset that Grimm wasn't given the head coaching job. Veterans like Hines Ward and Ben Roethlisberger were more reserved in their comments, choosing a wait-and-see attitude when it came to the new coach. But Tomlin struck another early chord with Roethlisberger, when OC Bruce Arians was given the go-ahead to construct a more "Ben-friendly" offense. Ben had a role in the nomenclature, and would be okayed to run things like the shotgun hurry-up offense and some of his own play-calling. It's been reported that Ben often chafed under Whisenhunt's and Cowher's play-calling dictates. So Ben got what he wanted - a friendlier offense in which he was completely in charge.
Tomlin's next problem was that he was following in the footsteps of a hugely popular head coach. Cowher, in 1991, had taken over for the HOF-bound Chuck Noll and had to do the same thing. Cowher instantly energized the city by getting his team to overachieve in his first season. "Cawher Pawher" was a constant phrase back then. So Tomlin faced the same issue. How do you successfully follow in the footsteps of a legend? It's rarely achieved.
Third, Tomlin was planning to strike a very different tone in training camp. Cowher's was easier, especially on veterans; Tomlin's was challenging for everyone. He drove the players, whether established starters, stars or up-and-comers. In Pittsburgh, being in "the news" became a new phrase, as that was Tomlin's way of publicly stating his disappointment or anger with players. Being in "the news" was a decidedly bad thing. Slowly, however, and somewhat grudgingly, most veterans came to respect Tomlin as both a man and coach.
In Tomlin's rookie year, he got his Steelers off to a tremendous start, bolting out to a great early-season record. But, injuries began to take their toll on the team, and the momentum they generated earlier in the year began to fade. Aaron Smith was lost of the year, and after that the Steelers defense wasn't nearly as good, especially against the run. RB Willie Parker was lost for the year with a broken leg, and this as he was leading the NFL in rushing. The Steelers essentially limped into the playoffs, and lost a tough game to the Jaguars in Pittsburgh. After the season was over, a common topic of discussion was that Tomlin's physical camp and practices had slowly worn the team down. They were simply physically unable to give any more.
Tomlin reviewed everyone in his first off-season, himself included. When his second season started last year, he modified some of the intense nature of his training camp. The veterans were pleased with this, seeing that Tomlin had evidently learned from his mistakes. Tomlin was more familiar now with his coordinators and team, and knew better how to push their buttons and get the most out of them. He was a calming influence, and worked his butt off to get the team to focus only on the next game. He had to; their schedule in the 2008 regular season was a brutally difficult one in which it seemed that every game was a huge one. Every game had playoff implications. Every game was nationally broadcast. Tomlin guided his team to the ultimate goal in football, and lifted the Lombardi Trophy in only his second year of coaching.
They say in football that players make their most impressive strides between their first and second years. One has to wonder if Tomlin, too, made those same strides, and came away a better coach. In his third year he faces yet more tremendous hurdles. How does he convince his team that the same exact effort and work ethic that brought them the championship last year is required to do the same this year? How does he get them to forget their magical run last year, and focus on this year? How does he get his team to play with the same intensity given the fact the Steelers have an easier schedule on paper this year than last year?
I think that it's a given that Tomlin will find a way to answer each question facing him in a positive manner. He coaches a team that is returning 20 of 22 starters; the two new players are thought to be upgrades over those that held the starting role in 2008. There aren't really any key positions up for grabs this year. The Steelers camp will need to be built around building chemistry and finding that tempo that the Steelers want to use. It won't be about testing players and tinkering with systems. It will be more about fine-tuning a team so that when they hit the regular season on Thursday, September 10th, they are ready to face another challenging season. They accept that injuries will occur, and players will have to fill in. They accept that it's a long season and that each week will require their utmost. Mike Tomlin will have a great deal to do with that. He balances his fiery intensity well with being a calm leader. He lets his coordinators do their job, and he oversees the entire team. He's striking many positive chords with the team, and there's no reason to expect him to take a step backwards this year.
Will the Steelers repeat? No one knows for sure. But NFL fans can be assured of only one thing: the Steelers will be ready to face their challenges. Tomlin will make certain of that.
The reason I recalled that was in a presser a day or two after the Steelers won SB43, coach Mike Tomlin basically traveled down that same exact path. "We're defending nothing," he claimed, stating (rightly) that the team will have tremendous turnover, and it will be a different team on the field. It will be a new year with new challenges, and the performance turned in last year is only in the past.
Mike Tomlin was elevated to Pittsburgh's head coach after only one year as a defensive coordinator in Minnesota. Prior to that, he worked extensively with Tony Dungy as the Bucs' secondary coach. He's defensive-minded, and is a proponent of the 4-3 scheme. So there were many things that were tremendously surprising about his hiring as Pittsburgh's head coach. The Steelers had run the 3-4 defense exclusively since 1991 (coinciding with the hiring of Bill Cowher). Tomlin wasn't a name that anyone really "knew" around the league; certainly he wasn't getting any press by outlets like ESPN or FoxSports when it came to discussing "hot" coordinators. There was also the fact that Pittsburgh already had two obviously well-qualified coaches internally - OC Ken Whisenhunt and offensive line coach Russ Grimm. Whisenhunt was lured by the Arizona Cardinals, especially when the Steelers front office was moving more slowly than he anticipated. Whisenhunt has said little about the experience, but one thinks that perhaps he saw the writing on the wall. Grimm was widely expected to get the job after Whis took the Cards job, both by local fans and media, and by the players. He was a known element. When Tomlin was named the coach, Grimm reportedly took it very badly, and immediately asked for his release from his contract. It was immediately granted, and Grimm went to Arizona to rejoin Whisenhunt.
The aftermath of the signing was that no one really knew who the Steelers had chosen. His players didn't know, nor did the local media guys or fans. The media guys scrambled to learn more about Tomlin, and in a city that believes the 3-4 defense is the ONLY way to play, a hiring of a 4-3 guy brought great consternation. Some of that was alleviated among the fans when it was announced that Tomlin was going to retain defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. That marked Tomlin's first A-plus decision in his tenure.
Tomlin entered his first training camp facing a mountain of problems. First, veterans like G Alan Faneca, were very critical of the hiring. Tomlin faced an internal mutiny from his own players right from the start; Faneca in particular was especially upset that Grimm wasn't given the head coaching job. Veterans like Hines Ward and Ben Roethlisberger were more reserved in their comments, choosing a wait-and-see attitude when it came to the new coach. But Tomlin struck another early chord with Roethlisberger, when OC Bruce Arians was given the go-ahead to construct a more "Ben-friendly" offense. Ben had a role in the nomenclature, and would be okayed to run things like the shotgun hurry-up offense and some of his own play-calling. It's been reported that Ben often chafed under Whisenhunt's and Cowher's play-calling dictates. So Ben got what he wanted - a friendlier offense in which he was completely in charge.
Tomlin's next problem was that he was following in the footsteps of a hugely popular head coach. Cowher, in 1991, had taken over for the HOF-bound Chuck Noll and had to do the same thing. Cowher instantly energized the city by getting his team to overachieve in his first season. "Cawher Pawher" was a constant phrase back then. So Tomlin faced the same issue. How do you successfully follow in the footsteps of a legend? It's rarely achieved.
Third, Tomlin was planning to strike a very different tone in training camp. Cowher's was easier, especially on veterans; Tomlin's was challenging for everyone. He drove the players, whether established starters, stars or up-and-comers. In Pittsburgh, being in "the news" became a new phrase, as that was Tomlin's way of publicly stating his disappointment or anger with players. Being in "the news" was a decidedly bad thing. Slowly, however, and somewhat grudgingly, most veterans came to respect Tomlin as both a man and coach.
In Tomlin's rookie year, he got his Steelers off to a tremendous start, bolting out to a great early-season record. But, injuries began to take their toll on the team, and the momentum they generated earlier in the year began to fade. Aaron Smith was lost of the year, and after that the Steelers defense wasn't nearly as good, especially against the run. RB Willie Parker was lost for the year with a broken leg, and this as he was leading the NFL in rushing. The Steelers essentially limped into the playoffs, and lost a tough game to the Jaguars in Pittsburgh. After the season was over, a common topic of discussion was that Tomlin's physical camp and practices had slowly worn the team down. They were simply physically unable to give any more.
Tomlin reviewed everyone in his first off-season, himself included. When his second season started last year, he modified some of the intense nature of his training camp. The veterans were pleased with this, seeing that Tomlin had evidently learned from his mistakes. Tomlin was more familiar now with his coordinators and team, and knew better how to push their buttons and get the most out of them. He was a calming influence, and worked his butt off to get the team to focus only on the next game. He had to; their schedule in the 2008 regular season was a brutally difficult one in which it seemed that every game was a huge one. Every game had playoff implications. Every game was nationally broadcast. Tomlin guided his team to the ultimate goal in football, and lifted the Lombardi Trophy in only his second year of coaching.
They say in football that players make their most impressive strides between their first and second years. One has to wonder if Tomlin, too, made those same strides, and came away a better coach. In his third year he faces yet more tremendous hurdles. How does he convince his team that the same exact effort and work ethic that brought them the championship last year is required to do the same this year? How does he get them to forget their magical run last year, and focus on this year? How does he get his team to play with the same intensity given the fact the Steelers have an easier schedule on paper this year than last year?
I think that it's a given that Tomlin will find a way to answer each question facing him in a positive manner. He coaches a team that is returning 20 of 22 starters; the two new players are thought to be upgrades over those that held the starting role in 2008. There aren't really any key positions up for grabs this year. The Steelers camp will need to be built around building chemistry and finding that tempo that the Steelers want to use. It won't be about testing players and tinkering with systems. It will be more about fine-tuning a team so that when they hit the regular season on Thursday, September 10th, they are ready to face another challenging season. They accept that injuries will occur, and players will have to fill in. They accept that it's a long season and that each week will require their utmost. Mike Tomlin will have a great deal to do with that. He balances his fiery intensity well with being a calm leader. He lets his coordinators do their job, and he oversees the entire team. He's striking many positive chords with the team, and there's no reason to expect him to take a step backwards this year.
Will the Steelers repeat? No one knows for sure. But NFL fans can be assured of only one thing: the Steelers will be ready to face their challenges. Tomlin will make certain of that.
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