He hasn’t been, either, even if the results are strikingly similar. The Pittsburgh Steelers changed coaches for only the third time in 38 years when Tomlin replaced Cowher, but they didn’t change the way they do business.
As Tomlin related Tuesday, Steelers owner Dan Rooney wouldn’t stand for that. That’s why the franchise’s five Super Bowl trophies line a hallway linking the practice field to the coaches’ offices - not to intimidate, but to inspire.
“I love the high expectations that come with this job. I’d rather have high ones than low ones,” Tomlin said. “The tradition is awesome. You can’t put a price tag on it. It’s inspiring.
“Those who come before us set the standards for us. We understand that when we come into the building, when we take to the field, and we hope the way we go about our business honors those guys.”
Much like Cowher in 1992 and, too, Chuck Noll in 1969, Tomlin wasn’t well known when the Steelers hired him. The job was expected to go to either offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt or assistant head coach Russ Grimm, but Tomlin beat them out in the interview process.
Some Steelers players who had friends with the Vikings, where Tomlin was defensive coordinator in 2006, or the Buccaneers, for whom he coached defensive backs from 2001-05, called to ask about Tomlin, who was only 34 when Pittsburgh hired him.
“I think everyone’s unsure about the direction of this team,” Steelers safety Troy Polamalu said before Tomlin’s rookie season. “He inherited a team. Obviously, it’s going to take time.”
Didn’t take that long. Tomlin’s Steelers got off to a 9-3 start in 2007 before injuries wore them down. They were eliminated by Jacksonville in a wild-card playoff game.
This season, the Steelers withstood a brutal schedule, a slow-to-develop offensive line, numerous injuries and the free-agent departure of former All-Pro guard Alan Faneca to put together the franchise’s fourth 12-win season since 1979.
Like Cowher, Tomlin is a hands-on coach during practice. He can be seen talking to players about subject matters big and small, but he is certainly not a coach controlled by his players, no matter their salary or level of stardom.
While Tomlin’s players occasionally offer insights into the way he coaches, Tomlin said he neither reads nor truly cares about what they say.
“I’m not interested in evaluating my performance and, particularly, I’m not interested in my players’ evaluation of my performance,” Tomlin said. “I’m paid to evaluate their performance.”
This is a big week for Tomlin, and not only because he has a chance to do something neither of his two immediate predecessors did by coaching the Steelers to the Super Bowl in only his second season. Noll got the Steelers there four times, winning each but needed six seasons to reach his first. Cowher required four.
Tomlin’s greatest influence as a coach, Tony Dungy, retired Monday as Colts coach, and Tomlin was effusive in praising his mentor. If Tomlin gets to the Super Bowl and wins, much will be written and said about him joining Dungy as the only black coaches to win an NFL title.
In a couple of weeks, Tomlin could reach the NFL’s ultimate peak at 36. The youngest coach to win a Super Bowl was Tampa Bay’s Jon Gruden at 39 - with Tomlin as one of his assistants.
