Mike Tomlin Proving to Be Steelers' Best Choice for Coach After All

If there's still any question about the Rooney's decision to hire Mike Tomlin over Russ Grimm, they have been answered. Recent hires show that Mr. Tomlin is surrounding himself with a wealth of experience. He retained defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau, 69, who has been coaching in the NFL longer than Mr. Tomlin has been alive. He promoted wide receivers coach Bruce Arians, 55, to offensive coordinator. His new quarterbacks coach, Ken Anderson, 57, was an all pro with the Cincinnati Bengals before becoming an NFL coach.

As for continuity, a concept that many fans considered best served by hiring Russ Grimm, most of Mr. Tomlin's hires have come from within the organization as opposed to hiring from outside. In fact, only two members of Bill Cowher's staff, other than Russ Grimm and those hired by Ken Wisenhunt in Arizona, will not be retained. Mr. Tomlin has been fervently trying to get the best coaching staff possible, and found that he had to look no further than the Steelers' back yard.

Mr. Tomlin's defensive philosophy appears to be running the scheme that the players are best suited for, not necessarily the scheme that he had been running with the Minnesota Vikings. The Steelers had been drafting for a 3-4 zone fire blitzing scheme since retired head coach Bill Cowher took over for Chuck Noll. I can foresee the possibility of drafting players more suited to a 4-3 cover two scheme, but do not expect that Mr. Tomlin will make that change for another three to five years.

The only thing that I'm curious to see is if Mr. Tomlin will open up the Steelers' offense. With a quarterback as skilled as Ben Roethlisberger, and a running back as fast as Willie Parker, they seem to be suited more to a spread-style offense, not the power running game that Coach Cowher liked to run. How Mr. Tomlin handles the offense will show how committed he is to putting the players in the best position to succeed.

One thing is for certain, the fans will expect quick results, they always do. This is a team who had no business going 8-8 this season, and surely has no business missing the playoffs next season. If they do, there will be an outcry from the fans for the quick release of Mr. Tomlin.

Not that an outcry after one season will have any effect on the Rooneys. They have a history of giving their coach second and third chances. Consider the years when Kordell Stewart was the quarterback and the Steelers missed the playoffs for three straight years. The fans called for the Rooneys to fire Mr. Cowher, myself included. The Rooneys had different ideas, and it led to a fifth world championship. Dan and Art Rooney II believe in continuity. They will give Mr. Tomlin a good four to five years to be successful, unlike other owners who fire their coaches after one unsuccessful season with an historically unsuccessful team.