Sid Hartman: Steelers 'dazzled' by Tomlin's poise

Mike Tomlin was Vikings defensive coordinator for only one year, but the Rooney family liked him so much that he was picked to replace Bill Cowher.

Minneapolis Star Tribune
Last update: January 21, 2007 – 11:06 PM

Well, for all the criticism that Vikings coach Brad Childress received this year, he apparently did something right, anyway.

He gave young Tampa Bay defensive backs coach Mike Tomlin a great opportunity to become the Vikings defensive coordinator, and he was second-guessed by some for giving such a young guy such responsibility.

Now Tomlin, 34, will officially be named coach of the Steelers today, according to a source high in the organization.

The source said Sunday that "Tomlin dazzled them in the interviews for the job."He was able to answer all of the questions forthright," the source said. "We did our research on him and learned that he was a good person, which is very meaningful to us. He handled himself well. He seemed to know what he was doing. He was an impressive kid."

It was no surprise that Tomlin dazzled the Steelers in his interviews. He has one super personality and is a great salesman. So they decided to select him over Russ Grimm, the former great Washington Redskins lineman who has been on Bill Cowher's staff since 2000 and was assistant head coach the past three seasons.

The Rooneys also selected Tomlin ahead of Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, who was named coach of the Arizona Cardinals, and Ron Rivera, the Chicago Bears defensive coordinator who couldn't interview again with Pittsburgh until after the Bears lost in the postseason.

Tomlin has agreed to keep many members of the Steelers coaching staff who have been around for a long time. He will get to hire his own offensive coordinator, and the word is that special teams coach Kevin Spencer will join Whisenhunt at Arizona.

Tomlin can't take any of the Vikings coaches who are under contract unless they are promoted to a better position. It's possible Childress might release secondary coach Joe Woods, who was on the Tampa Bay staff with Tomlin. Tomlin was instrumental in bringing Woods here.

The Steelers management wasn't concerned about Tomlin's age; in 1992, when Pittsburgh hired Cowher, he was 34, the same age as Steelers tackle Tunch Ilkin.

This is a tough blow for Childress, who thought so much of Tomlin that he gave him complete control of the defense. The players had so much respect for Tomlin because he was so smart and so knowledgeable and was super at handling people.

But I have complete confidence that Childress will find a good replacement for Tomlin. The Vikings will still play their schedule next season.

Chances are that Childress will go outside of his present staff to hire an experienced defensive coordinator.

ROONEY LIVES UP TO RULE

The NFL has a rule called the Rooney Rule, named after Steelers owner and chairman Dan Rooney, that forces teams to interview minorites for head coaching vacancies. Rooney is head of the league's diversity committee.

Now, Rooney has set the stage for other league owners by hiring his own minority coach and setting an example others might follow. Tomlin will become the sixth current black coach in the league, joining Tony Dungy, Herm Edwards, Lovie Smith, Marvin Lewis and Romeo Crennel.

Tomlin is working for the best owners in the business. Chuck Noll coached for 23 years, followed by Cowher for 15 years and now Tomlin. The Steelers don't fire coaches.