Heroes & Villains

"It's not about what you are capable of ... it's about what you are willing to do."
- Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach

When you listen to Mike Tomlin talk, it's like hearing an old wise man sharing his vast knowledge of his trials and tribulations. Tomlin is only 36 years old. He's barely older than his starting wide receiver, Hines Ward.

But Tomlin's age does not hinder his incredible aptitude to instruct and motivate players.

When Pittsburgh Steelers running back Willie Parker asked Tomlin for a contract extension during training camp, the coach replied: "Put it on tape." Translation: Prove it on the playing field on Sundays.

When 330-pound defensive lineman Casey Hampton failed to complete a running test a year ago, Tomlin sent Hampton home, placed the Pro Bowl nose tackle on the physically unable to perform list and didn't allow him to practice with the rest of the team until he met the head coach's weight requirement.

When wideout Santonio Holmes was busted for marijuana possession in November last year, Tomlin immediately suspended him and told him not to show up on the Steelers' sideline.

And when Michael Vick was made available to the Steelers, Tomlin considered signing his fellow Virginian but opted not to out of respect to his starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was going through some legal issues as the team geared up for camp. Tomlin felt his quarterback needed his full support, and acquiring Vick would send the wrong message.

Tough but yet compassionate. Imperfect but yet brilliant. Those characteristics define the man now in charge of running the most decorated franchise (as far as Lombardi trophies are concern) in the league.

In less than 36 months, Tomlin has elevated himself to elite status in his profession. Heading into his third season as the Steelers' headmaster, Tomlin already owns two Super Bowl rings - one as an assistant with Tampa Bay in 2003 and one as coach of the Steelers in 2008 - and is the reigning Motorola Coach of the Year.

"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."
- Tomlin, on preparing for the 2009 season

To be a successful head coach at any level, you have to be part teacher, part counselor, part drill sergeant and part psychologist. Being able to wear many hats is a prerequisite. Other key elements are flexibility and communication, finding a balance between criticism and praise.

Coaches such as Dick Vermeil and Tom Coughlin struggled with change. Vermeil burned himself out with his full-throttle philosophy, and it wasn't until he took his foot off the gas pedal a little bit is when he finally won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams. Coughlin's cutthroat ways wore out his teams, but his most gratifying season came when he allowed his players to see a softer side of him.

It took Vermeil and Coughlin years before they finally "figured it out." It took Tomlin two years before he mastered the art of adaptability.

Tomlin's no-nonsense approach blends well with his philosophical nature. The proud graduate of William & Mary exhibits great poise and power on the sidelines. He is able to deliver his commands in various ways. It can be terse or subtle. Either way, he manages to get his point across loud and clear.

He meticulously chooses his words and wisely communicates them in such an intelligent and civil manner that you sometimes forget that he's a football coach. Regardless of his methods, he has had some of the most inspirational and profound statements you'll ever see or hear.

"We don't live in our fears, we live in our hopes."
- Tomlin, following the Steelers' win over the Rams in 2007

"He is extremely well read," Pro Bowl safety and Stanford graduate John Lynch told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about his former defensive backs coach with the Buccaneers. "And not just about football."

When then Buccaneers head coach Tony Dungy was interviewing Tomlin for an assistant position, he had Lynch in the room with him. Once the session was over, Lynch told Dungy: "I like that guy."

"We have to defend every blade of grass."
- Tomlin, on his top-ranked defense

What separates Tomlin from the others is his capacity to adapt quickly and learn from his mistakes. He's far from perfect, and he'll be the first to admit it. Coaches preach accountability, but only a few actually practice it. Once Tomlin figured out his shortcomings, the job became easy and the process was less taxing.

During his rookie season, he put his squad through a physically exhausting camp that affected his team's stamina. The Steelers got off to a great start in 2007, winning seven out of 10 games, but won just three of their next six during crunch time. By the time the Steelers hit the playoffs, they were spent and were bounced by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional round.

"It was my intent to come in here in 2007 and draw some hard lines in the dirt as a basis of forming a relationship with our football team. It's a heck of a lot easier to pull back than it is to put down."
- Tomlin, on his first season as Steelers coach

Before the start of last season, Tomlin eased up on his squad and maintained a more consistent but less stressful training camp. The result was a fresh team in the playoffs that went 3-0, including a historic comeback in Super Bowl XLIII against Arizona.

Tomlin was also smart enough to realize that defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau was so respected and beloved in the locker room that he couldn't just shove the veteran coach aside and render him useless. So, Tomlin kept the 3-4 blitzing scheme in the playbook. Though LeBeau received a ton of credit for the development of the Steelers' defense into the No. 1 unit in the league, Tomlin's influence should not be ignored. Before he became Steelers coach, Tomlin coached the No. 1 run defense in Minnesota in 2006.

The Steelers still run LeBeau's famous Zone Blitz scheme, but they don't run it as often as they did under Bill Cowher. Because they've been able to apply pressure on the quarterback with their edge rushers, the Steelers have implemented more and more Cover 2 looks in their arsenal. Tomlin is a product of the Tony Dungy Cover 2 school, something Dungy learned from his playing days with the Steelers in the 1970s under defensive coordinator Bud Carson.

"I'm a private person by nature, this is what I do, it's not who I am."
- Tomlin, on his persona



If there is a drawback to being Mike Tomlin, it has to be his physical appearance. The man just freakishly looks like actor Omar Epps. It has become fodder for wannabee comedians on SportsCenter.

I liked Epps in "Juice," "Love & Basketball" and "Higher Learning" but he's definitely not in Denzel Washington's league when it comes to cinematic achievements. Now, as far as Tomlin is concerned ... King Kong ain't got nothing on him.

I've compiled my list of top active head coaches in the NFL. These five coaches are the only ones with job security after this season. The rest could easily get fired on a drop of a hat.

1. MIKE TOMLIN, Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers have hired just three head coaches since 1969: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin. The Rooney family appears to have this selection process down to a science.

2. BILL BELICHICK, New England Patriots: Belichick may have more rings than Tomlin, but Commander Hoodie was never this good at this stage of his career. Remember the Cleveland days, Bill? I do. I remember Belichick was eight games under .500 as Browns coach and was sent packing by owner Art Modell. The "Spygate" controversy also put a huge smudge on Belichick's once impeccable resume.

3. TOM COUGHLIN, New York Giants: Though his career will be remembered for his remarkable work during the Giants' Super Bowl run in the 2007 season, Coach Coughlin should be recognized for laying down the foundation in Jacksonville, where he spent the first eight seasons of his head coaching career. Belichick and Coughlin are products of the Bill Parcells coaching tree.

4. ANDY REID, Philadelphia Eagles: The most successful coach in Eagles history. He drafted Donovan McNabb, led the Eagles to four consecutive NFC Championship games from 2001 to 2004, came within three points of winning Super Bowl XXXIX and the second-longest tenured coach in the league. Winning a Super Bowl is the only remaining blank spot on Reid's checklist.

5. JEFF FISHER, Tennessee Titans: Fisher is the longest tenured head coach in the NFL. He's been with the Titans so long that he was there when they were still the Houston Oilers. Fisher came within a yard of winning Super Bowl XXXIV, and that yard has grown significantly with each passing year.

Honorable mention: Ken Whisenhunt, John Harbaugh, Mike McCarthy, John Fox.