You can find I heart Mike Tomlin gear here: http://shop.cafepress.com/i-heart-mike-tomlin .
You can find a woman ready to leave her husband for the Black and Gold boss here: http://www.lemondrop.com/2009/11/12/mike-tomlin/ .
Heck, you can even hear his name being dropped on an episode of House here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EVDGeEwhxE.
The physical resemblance to Omar Epps is striking (see below), and both opened their careers with a bang. Epps as a lead actor in Juice. Tomlin as the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl (2nd season). The difference is, I don't expect Tomlin to slip to the b-list of coaches. He can land women (sorry ladies, he's married) and he can lead men.
I think the Steelers made the right move by giving Tomlin a 3-year contract extension. Lets start with the tangible facts. In his 3 years as coach, he's won 31of 48 games. He's captured two division titles and a Super Bowl. The Steelers finished with the top defense in the NFL in both '07 and '08. The '08 unit was one of the most dominating in the history of the league. They tied an NFL record by holding 14 straight opponents under 300 yards of total offense that year. Tomlin's specialty just so happens to be defense (dbacks coach in TB, d-coord in MIN).
Let's move on to the intangibles.
The guy is a born leader. He credits the players when the team succeeds and accepts all blame when the team fails (Tomlin during '09 season-ending presser..."I accept responsibility for everything on tape"). There is no excuse for the Steelers inability to convert short-yardage and goal line situations last season. There is no excuse for the appalling kickoff and punt coverage. There is no excuse for losing 5 straight, including games against Kansas City, Oakland and Cleveland. There is no excuse for anything that happened in 2009 (not even the absence of Troy). No excuse and Mike Tomlin never tried to fabricate one.
The players love the guy. I've spent many days and nights in locker rooms. High school locker rooms, college locker rooms and professional locker rooms. Rarely do you see a coach hug a player, a coach dish out fist pounds (without awkwardly trying to bridge the gaps of age and social understanding) or a coach engage in lengthy conversations about music...modern music. I've caught Mike Tomlin doing all of the above. The guy can relate to his players. Remember, he makes aviator shades look masculine. Don't believe me? Ask Ryan Clark. The Steelers safety flew to Miami this off-season and was moments away from signing a contract with the Dolphins when Tomlin called his cell. Tomlin simply said, "we're going to fight for you." Clark got back on the plane and re-signed with the Steelers the next day. Enough said.
One bad season doesn't make a bad coach. People seem to forget that Bill Cowher got a contact extension after the '00 season after missing out on the playoffs in 3 straight seasons. 3 straight seasons. I think almost every Black and Gold fan would label Cowher as a good coach. I think Tomlin deserves some time. A Lombardi is usually good for that. While we're busy comparing the two, we might as well point out that Tomlin can be every bit as intimidating as Cowher. Check out the glare. Combine the scowl and the glare and you have a character that can rival Jason Voorheis or Freddy Kruger for whatever title they battle for. Talk about b-list actors.
Finally, and most importanty, at least to us sports journalists...the guys is a sound bite machine. Sound bite machines don't come around very often. How could the Rooney's let this guy go?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Be4X3rLUE
"We will not go gently, we will unleash hell here in December, because we have to. We won't go in the shell, we will go into attack mode, because that is what is required."
In reference to winning his first Lombardi trophy
"I don't view it as something like I won the lottery. I'm proud of the sacrifices and the accomplishments of the men involved, but it was something I thought we were capable of. So the end result doesn't register the response that winning the lottery or something of that nature, where you have to pinch yourself."
Preparing for the 2009 season
"Hungry is a word that I've been analyzing here of late. It's not hunger that drives me, it's not hunger that needs to drive our football team. Hunger and thirst are things that can be quenched. We have to be a driven group, we have to seek greatness."
3 years, 2 Division Championships, 1 Super Bowl, a legendary glare, fantastic aviators, a perfectly manicured beard and the gift of gab. Mike Tomlin deserves to continue to roam the sidelines for the Steelers and the ladies deserve the chance to keep looking at him. Just sayin'
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