Grimm may have misread situation

Rooney II: Offer discussed, but not tendered

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Could a misunderstanding or miscommunication have occurred that led Russ Grimm to believe that he was offered the Steelers' head-coaching job Saturday?

Art Rooney II, the team's president, believes that is possible. A published report declared that Grimm had been offered and accepted the Steelers' head-coaching job Saturday night. The Steelers hired Mike Tomlin as their coach Sunday and publicly introduced him Monday.

Yesterday, Grimm accepted a job as the assistant head coach and offensive line coach of the Arizona Cardinals, the same titles he held with the Steelers. The job reunites him with new Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, the Steelers' former offensive coordinator who had been considered among the leading candidates to replace Bill Cowher, along with Grimm. The Steelers released Grimm from his contract with them after he requested it.

Rooney did not deny that the team discussed an offer with Grimm, but he said no deal was completed.

"Let me put it this way: We made Russ a finalist, and I think at that point we felt he was somebody we seriously were considering for the job," Rooney said yesterday. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for Russ and I do hope he gets a shot to be a head coach; I think he deserves it. I think its fair to say he came close."

Rooney admitted that the Steelers had talked about contract numbers with Grimm's agent, but he said they also talked about numbers with Tomlin's representatives.

As for any such contract offer they might have given to Grimm, Rooney said, "We discussed that it's not going to be final until it's final. It's one of those things I think we made clear it was not final at the time we spoke."

A possible misunderstanding then?

"I think on the agent's part; they tend to think in those kinds of terms," Rooney said. "I think we made it clear at the time we spoke that it was not final, and we were going to speak again on Sunday. I believe the agent was told not to say anything to anybody because of that. I think the league people caused some confusion, which was unfortunate, but that didn't come from us."

The Steelers were furious over reports that surfaced Saturday on SI.com and ESPN that Tomlin had been chosen as their head coach. They insisted they did not pick their coach until Sunday. Rooney blamed "league people" for those reports.

"Let's put it this way, I think I know where both of the leaks came from and I think it's unfortunate when people talk about something when you're dealing with these things," Rooney said, then quoted an old Yogi Berra saying. "It ain't over 'til it's over, and people were claiming something was over when it was not."

Grimm seemed disappointed, but said he wasn't bitter over the way events played out.

"Obviously, it was tough," Grimm told reporters in a conference call yesterday. "I thought I had a shot at it. Whatever the details are and things like that, I respect the decision that was made.

"It's time to move on. I'm thrilled to be in Arizona."

Grimm's agent, Eric Metz, declined comment.

Rooney said it was extremely close between Tomlin and Grimm.

"I think it's fair to say Russ was close. We gave serious consideration to giving Russ the job, and he merited it. That's why we made him a finalist."


(Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. )

Bob Smizik: Lack of discipline may have been decisive

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The process by which the Steelers selected Mike Tomlin as the successor to Bill Cowher left a lot of people surprised and a few people astonished.

The decision of the Rooney family to allow highly regarded media/fan favorite Ken Whisenhunt, Cowher's offensive coordinator, to slip from their grasp and take the Arizona job when no decision was forthcoming on the Steelers' position was the first surprise. The pronouncement this week that Tomlin was the choice over assistant head coach Russ Grimm, who had become the favorite, was more shocking.

So what are we to make of this disregard of the recent past, which includes a Super Bowl championship after the 2005 season, by Dan Rooney, the team's chairman, and Art Rooney II, the president?

It could mean nothing more than they were tremendously impressed with Tomlin, despite his skimpy resume. But it also could mean there were things about the recent past the Rooneys did not like and that they wanted to disconnect from it.

No disrespect to Cowher, an outstanding coach whose record speaks for itself, but not only did the Steelers slip from Super Bowl champion to out of the playoffs, but they also slipped more on the football behavioral scale. For a traditionalist like Dan Rooney, that is no small thing.

This isn't to suggest the Rooneys would have selected anyone over Grimm and Whisenhunt, only that when they saw a chance to start anew, with fresh leadership and discipline in the person of an outstanding young coach, it could have been enough to nudge Tomlin ahead of Grimm.

So why are they allowing Tomlin to keep at least two assistants from Cowher's staff? Less than a day on the job, Tomlin kept Dick LeBeau as defensive coordinator and promoted Bruce Arians from wide receivers coach to offensive coordinator.

Because it all starts at the top. A new coach will not only invigorate the players, he'll invigorate the assistants.

Cowher maintained until the end he was not stale and he had not lost his focus. That might be true -- Cowher was one focused guy -- but with his longtime quest for a Super Bowl championship immediately behind him and the strong possibility of retirement immediately in front of him, a loss of focus -- and the breakdown in discipline that can come with it -- was not all that unexpected.

Much of the first half of the season was marked by a lack of focus that manifested itself in bad decisions and stupid penalties. The most prominent example of this came in late September when the Steelers were called for taunting and excessive celebration, two unacceptable penalties, in a loss against Cincinnati.

After the game, in what might be described as a low growl, Cowher said, "I will accept responsibility. That will not happen again. That's on me. It will not happen again."

It did. Four weeks later, with veteran team leader Hines Ward being the main instigator, the Steelers were penalized for excessive celebration after a touchdown that was such a clear violation it was almost as if the players were begging for a penalty and at the same time flaunting Cowher's rules.

For all his tough-guy bravado, Cowher was not hard on his players. His training camps too often resembled summer camps. Don't, for example, expect any afternoons at the movies under Tomlin.

Cowher's philosophy was to treat his players like men and expect them to behave in kind. In almost all cases, they did. One of the strengths of the Rooney/Cowher partnership was the almost total absence of problem players. That has a lot to do with what has become known as the Steelers' way and with Cowher and the kind of leadership he helped create within the team. When players such as Ward, Jerome Bettis and Alan Faneca, to name a few, are exemplary leadership examples, it's hard for other players not to follow.

But that order broke down this season, and it is possible the Rooneys felt the team needed to hear a different voice. Yes, Grimm would have been a different voice, but he was part of the old regime. Tomlin is new, and, although he said little about himself at his introduction Monday, it's clear this is a tough man, but one the players will love. He will place large expectations on them and accompany that with strong demands that they live up to those expectations.

In retrospect, that's what was missing last season, and the Rooneys wanted to make certain it would not happen again.

Malkin held scoreless, but savors moment in spotlight

Penguins Evgeni Malkin, left and Jordan Staal, right, make fun of teammate Ryan Whitney after he was introduced for the game last night.


Malkin held scoreless, but, like other Penguins, savors moment in brighter spotlight
Wednesday, January 24, 2007

By Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

DALLAS -- In the end, Evgeni Malkin was able to smile.

Even though he could not convert on several scoring chances in the NHL YoungStars Game.

And even though, in a misunderstanding, he thought someone walked away with his sweater from the All-Star event last night at American Airlines Center.

"This will be a lifetime memory," the Penguins' rookie center said through interpreter Kate Nersesov after he was one of two players in the game who was held without a point in the Eastern Conference's 9-8 victory over the Western Conference.

Penguins defenseman Ryan Whitney had one goal, a one-timer set up by teammate Jordan Staal, who had two assists.

After the game, Malkin looked around the room and seemed a little perturbed. It wasn't just the fact that he was shut out in a game that was played four-on-four with a running clock and consisted of three 10-minute periods.

"Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to get my jersey I was playing in," he said. "I wanted to keep it for the memory."

It turns out the players used a different jersey for each period. One goes to the Penguins, one to the NHL --those two probably will eventually benefit charity -- and one will be sent to the players. They just weren't able to walk away with them last night.

At some point, that probably will be conveyed to Malkin in Russian.

Something was a little lost in translation for him on the ice, too, as he failed to score on several breakaways and odd-man breaks. In the third period, he bore down alone on Western goaltender Peter Budaj of Colorado, only to have the puck roll off of his stick before he could shoot it.

"I think Geno's a little frustrated," Whitney said of Malkin, who leads all rookies with 24 goals and 51 points. "He gets enough in the regular games, so he gets to take a night off."

New Jersey's Zach Parise had two goals and four assists and was named the game's MVP.

Also having big nights were Boston rookie Phil Kessel with three goals and an assist and Los Angeles rookie Anze Kopitar with two goals and three assists.

Even the goaltenders, Budaj and Atlanta's Kari Lehtonen, each had an assist.

"Our coaches were telling us to stand on the blue line and wait for the puck," Staal said.

"It's a different game, but it's something for the fans, and I think they enjoyed it."

Staal said the experience made him want to return as a member of the regular All-Star Game in the future.

Whitney said the whole experience was enjoyable.

"I think just being around the players, the guys that are in the regular All-Star Game and the fact that we got to be around our teammates," he said. "It's fun to see how guys get ready for games, what kind of sticks they use. And then being able to see the [SuperSkills competition] and the game is great."

The Penguins' players got an extra treat when they were invited to fly to Dallas in a private plane courtesy of Penguins Hall of Fame player and team owner Mario Lemieux.

"I did not expect to fly in a private plane of such a big celebrity," said Malkin, who made the most of his trip.

"I've already met some of the stars. I've already made friends with some of these people. It's all beyond my expectations."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Shelly Anderson can be reached at shanderson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1721. )

Lemieux 'very disappointed' over arena talks

Penguins owner Mario Lemieux waves to fans as he is honored with other greats of the game before the Eastern Conference practice for the NHL All-Star Game at the American Airlines Center, in Dallas.


By Andrew Conte and Rob Rossi
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, January 23, 2007


Pittsburgh's arena deal can't get much sweeter for the Penguins, two Allegheny County lawmakers said Monday.
"It seems like (team owners) keep waiting for it to get sweeter and sweeter," said state Sen. Wayne Fontana, a member of the Sports & Exhibition Authority. "Is this just a negotiating ploy to get more? If the deal in Kansas City or someplace else was better, they would have walked already."

Gov. Ed Rendell has "a little wiggle room" to change the offer but does not have a lot more to give, said Fontana, a Brookline Democrat.

"I don't think it's giving and taking and offering more," said Democratic state Sen. Sean Logan, of Monroeville, who also sits on the SEA board. "It's just finalizing the details and what the Pens will accept."

The remarks came as team co-owner Mario Lemieux said public officials have two to three weeks remaining to make a deal.

"The sooner the better," Lemieux said. "A few weeks ago, I said 30 days, and we're getting very close to that. Sooner or later, we're just going to make a decision and go with it. Whatever happens, happens."

A top National Hockey League official agreed.

"Obviously, from what I understand, they had a tough meeting last week, and we've talked about a short horizon and we need to get a resolution soon," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. "Hopefully, that creates emergency and they'll make some progress toward getting resolution."

Penguins co-owner Ronald Burkle met for almost two hours Thursday night with Rendell, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Detroit businessman Don Barden, who plans to open a North Shore slots parlor in March 2008. Barden's company won state approval to build the casino over Isle of Capri, which promised a new arena for its partner, the Penguins, if it won.

Lemieux said the meeting "wasn't very good."

"Our people were offended and very disappointed," Lemieux said.

Part of Thursday's talks focused on who would be allowed to develop the Mellon Arena site if the Penguins get a new facility. The SEA owns the land and had planned to give the development rights to the winner of Pittsburgh's slots license -- as long as the casino company helped pay for the new arena, Logan and Fontana said.

Barden has agreed to pay $7.5 million a year for 30 years toward the arena. The state would kick in another $7 million a year from a development fund backed with gambling money.

Under Rendell's original proposal, called Plan B, the team would have paid $8.5 million up front and $2.9 million a year, while forgoing $1.16 million in naming rights.

Team officials have been concerned about how much money they might lose by staying at Mellon Arena the next two seasons rather than moving to Kansas City, Fontana said.

Barden's presence at the meeting was unexpected. He took an active role in the talks, and when Burkle decided to end the negotiations for the night, Barden followed him out into the hallway for a private conversation.

"We're just trying to be helpful and do whatever we can to help this process along," said Barden's spokesman, Bob Oltmanns.

The Penguins' lease at Mellon Arena expires in June.

Daly said that league rules allow the NHL to legally prevent the team from relocating. However, Daly said the NHL would not keep the team from leaving Pittsburgh if a "viable arena plan" is not in place soon.

Penguins officials could visit Houston this week while attending the All-Star Game in Dallas.

Janis Schmees, executive director of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, said Houston officials are discussing a possible visit by the Penguins. She declined to provide details, and team officials offered no comment.

Les Alexander, owner of the National Basketball Association's Houston Rockets, twice attempted to lure an NHL franchise to the city, said Oliver Luck, president and general manager of Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo franchise.

"I'd say that the NHL was definitely on the back burner, but always on the radar for Houston," Luck said.

The Rockets are the only major-league tenant for the Toyota Center, which opened in 2003 and seats 17,800 for the American Hockey League's Aeros, a minor-league affiliate of the Minnesota Wild.

Burkle and Lemieux visited Kansas City earlier this month. No new visits are planned. Officials there offered free rent and a share of revenues if the team moves into Sprint Center, scheduled to open in fall.


Andrew Conte and Rob Rossi can be reached at aconte@tribweb.com or (412) 765-2312.

Crosby has many fans among NHL's elite

By Karen Price
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, January 23, 2007


DALLAS - Colorado Avalanche center Joe Sakic will be playing in his 12th NHL All-Star Game on Wednesday, is a three-time Olympian and two-time Stanley Cup winner and entered the 2006-07 season as the NHL's active leading scorer with 1,489 points.
The man knows talent when he sees it.

And Sakic is a big fan of Sidney Crosby's.

"Obviously, he's the best player right now in the game," Sakic said Monday at American Airlines Center, site of tomorrow's NHL All-Star Game. "He's taken off to a different level. We saw the impact he had last year, but this year, wow, every night there's a highlight reel of him. He's an amazing athlete and he's taken over."

Sakic isn't alone in his assessment. The Penguins' 19-year-old star has plenty of fans among the impressive talent assembled in Dallas this week. Turns out that many of the league's elite players believe that Crosby is the best.

"He's just a great player," San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton said. "He has great speed and he just has a knack for being in the right spot at the right time. He's a very complete player and it seems like he's getting better and better."

Said New York Rangers forward Brendan Shanahan: "I'm a big fan of his. ... What is he, 19? Man, it's amazing how he carries himself and his level of play, especially with the scrutiny he has. Very (Wayne) Gretzky-like in his ability to maintain a very positive image off the ice."

Shanahan wasn't the only one who brought up the Gretzky comparison.

"I played against Gretzky, although it was when he was a little older," Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said. "But I can see the comparisons. Gretzky was great for the game of hockey, and I think Crosby's going to be the same kind of guy. People are going to know about Crosby like they know about Gretzky."

Crosby will be making his All-Star debut tomorrow, and it's certain to be the first of many such games for the native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. Crosby will be the Eastern Conference's starting center after leading all players in fan balloting with 825,783 votes and registering the second-highest number of votes since balloting to select All-Star starters began in 1986.

For those Eastern Conference players accustomed to playing against him, several said yesterday that they're looking forward to being on the same team for a change.

"It's funny because during the season I'm usually matching against him," Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara said. "He's very creative and very competitive, and he seems very hungry every shift to make things happen. When you face a guy like that you have to be ready to play him every shift and take his time and space away as much as you can."

Crosby and Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin were the only two players to hold formal news conferences yesterday. As the pair exited the stage to continue holding court in media scrums along with the rest of the Eastern Conference team members, some of the best ever to play the game were on their way in for a Legends of Hockey photo shoot.

One legend was Mario Lemieux, who traveled with Crosby to Dallas yesterday morning.

Another was defenseman Ray Bourque, who may have delivered the highest praise of the day for the young star.

"For me, he may be the best player in the league right now and if he's not, he will be," Bourque said of Crosby. "His drive, his passion, his determination, not only offensively and how he plays the game, but how responsible he is and how he competes without the puck. ... He just brings it in all ways and all phases of the game, every night. That's what I look for when I talk about the best player in the league."



Karen Price can be reached at kprice@tribweb.com.

Joe Starkey: Pen's success tainted

Penguins All-Star center Sidney Crosby jokes with Eastern Conference teammates before taking the ice for practice at the American Airlines Center, in Dallas.

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, January 23, 2007

DALLAS - Sidney Crosby's first All-Star week is supposed to be part celebration, part coronation. That was the mood when Crosby and fellow superstar Alexander Ovechkin walked to the podium for a joint question-and-answer session Monday afternoon at American Airlines Center.

Unfortunately, Crosby's success and that of the Penguins -- who have three players scheduled to participate in the YoungStars Game tonight and Crosby in the big boys game Wednesday -- cannot be fully celebrated because of the black cloud hovering over the franchise.

This was a prime example. With a room full of reporters and NHL types waiting to hear from Crosby and Ovechkin on subjects such as skating on the same line and establishing themselves as the faces of the league, the first question instead focused on the Penguins' ongoing arena saga.

"Sidney, I'm here from the Kansas City Star," the reporter said. "I was wondering what your thoughts are on this situation and what do you know about Kansas City?"

Talk about a buzz kill. The place deflated faster than Kirstie Alley (not that you could blame the guy).

"I don't know a whole lot," Crosby said. "Obviously, I think the players on our team are pretty content with being in Pittsburgh. We really enjoy it there. We get great support. That's where we want to be, but again, it's out of our hands. We have heard the rumor it's a possibility to go (to Kansas City), but I think we're quite content with being in Pittsburgh."

Somebody else asked the second question, which went like this, believe it or not: "Sidney, All-Star Game players tend to not exactly give 110 percent. What percentage would you say you're going to put out there?"

I was curious about that, too, pegging the figure at 94 percent.

"I don't know," Crosby said.

Sorry you missed the fun?

It actually got better, but the arena issue hung around like a sore throat all day. Mario Lemieux couldn't escape it when he showed up for a legends-of-the-game-promotion. No sooner had he finished posing for photos with the likes of Mark Messier, Larry Murphy and Paul Coffey when he was bombarded with arena-related questions.

Four days earlier, the Penguins left a meeting with local officials infuriated over the surprise appearance and participation of Majestic Star Casino owner Don Barden. Lemieux did not attend the meeting but said the team was "offended and very disappointed."

He also said time is running short on choosing an arena plan in Pittsburgh, Kansas City or somewhere else, putting the figure at 2-3 weeks.

"Sooner or later, we're just going to make a decision and go with it," Lemieux said. "Whatever happens, happens."

That doesn't sound good, but Lemieux's just posturing again, right?

Right?

I suppose I'm like a lot of people when it comes to the Penguins' situation. I can't believe the NHL would allow a team to leave such a solid market, not when so many others are struggling to support their teams. I still believe the Penguins will stay, and I'm aware these kinds of deals tend to reach a precipice before they are settled.

But doesn't a small part of you wonder if Lemieux will become so fed up that he doesn't care anymore? Don't you wonder about Ron Burkle, the California billionaire who has a 40 percent stake in the team and no ties whatsoever to Pittsburgh?

As we all sit here convinced the Penguins can't possibly leave, doesn't part of you wonder if we'll wake up shocked one day?

Part of me does.


Joe Starkey is a sports writer for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He can be reached at jstarkey@tribweb.com

Mike Prisuta: Tomlin's introduction strikes right chords

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, January 23, 2007


Mike Tomlin looked the part and spoke the gospel while making a first impression that couldn't have been better.

He thanked God and the Rooney family, in that order. He flashed a smile and a Super Bowl ring. He brought the wife and referenced the kids. And he expressed himself in sound bites that paid tribute to traditional Steelers values such as becoming a team that "wins by attrition," being "mentally and physically tough" and being able to "stop the run and run the ball effectively.

"In general, that's what our football team will be all about," Tomlin said.

Someone should have fired up "The Steelers Polka."

Or perhaps, "Renegade."

"We intend to make no bold predictions," Tomlin said. "What we are going to do is promise to have a first-class, blue-collar work ethic in how we approach our business."

That was the highlight of Tomlin's opening statement upon being introduced as Bill Cowher's successor.

Subsequent inquiries revealed Tomlin has taken rides on Pittsburgh's inclines as a 12-year old and that, despite his status as a 34-year-old rising star in the profession, Tomlin isn't yet convinced he knows it all.

"Coaching's overrated," Tomlin said. "If you have good players, you have a chance."

He'll inherit those, despite the Steelers' 8-8 record.

And he'll be smart enough to surround himself with good help.

Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau will be back, Tomlin confirmed, despite a philosophical difference in the value of the 4-3 as opposed to the 3-4.

"You look at your personnel and what they do well and what puts them in a position to win, and obviously retaining Coach LeBeau is a big part of that," Tomlin said.

Filling out the staff is up to Tomlin, Steelers president Art Rooney II said.

But LeBeau came "strongly recommended."

The rest have been "recommended" by Rooney.

Along those lines, count on Bruce Arians moving up from wide receivers coach to offensive coordinator and, probably, the defensive staff returning intact.

Tomlin may not have been the continuity candidate, but he apparently appreciates what was achieved by a staff that has lost Cowher, offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, assistant head coach/offensive line coach Russ Grimm, special teams coach Kevin Spencer and running backs coach Dick Hoak.

It was always a team effort, from director of football operations Kevin Colbert and the personnel department through the support staff that kept the Cowher-era Steelers contending.

Tomlin isn't interested in putting a personal stamp on that as much as he is keeping the ball rolling.

"The one thing that turned me on about this organization is it's a collective effort in terms of how we do things," Tomlin said. "Nothing is heaped upon one specific person.

"I look forward to working with Kevin on personnel matters. I'm excited about that, I really am.' "

The guy fits in already.


Mike Prisuta is a columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Steelers players have confidence in Rooney's choice

Some preferred the in-house candidates for coaching job, but defer to owners' expertise

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Tuesday. January 23, 2007

Steelers players did not break into a dance to celebrate the news that Mike Tomlin would be their new coach, but they hope the owners' track record on such moves proves itself for the third time in the past 38 years.

"I thought there were good candidates in-house," said All-Pro guard Alan Faneca, an offensive co-captain. "But the Rooneys know what they're doing. They had two coaches in 38 years. I think they have the system down."

Faneca said last week that he thought his line coach, Russ Grimm, would "make a great head coach." Grimm and Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera were the other finalists.

Virtually every player polled before and after Bill Cowher resigned Jan. 5 said they would like to see the Steelers promote one of their assistant coaches, either Grimm or Ken Whisenhunt, the offensive coordinator who since became Arizona's head coach.

Steelers president Art Rooney II and chairman Dan Rooney picked Tomlin on Sunday, after they and football operations director Kevin Colbert interviewed all five of the original candidates.

"I'm surprised, I guess you could say," defensive end Brett Keisel said of the choice. "I said this before, I have the most confidence in the Rooneys to select a coach -- they have, and now we can move forward."

"I'm quite sure Kevin and the Rooneys made a good decision," linebacker Larry Foote said. "All the reports I hear about people who know coach Mike said he's a great guy. I'm excited."

Some defensive players were relieved when they learned that Tomlin planned to keep coordinator Dick LeBeau in place. The Steelers have run a 3-4 defense since 1983.

"I heard LeBeau's staying," Foote said. "I don't think our defense will have any problems."

Tomlin ruled over a 4-3 defense as the Minnesota Vikings' coordinator, the same defense that was run in Tampa Bay when he was the Buccaneers' secondary coach for five years. It's possible he could add some wrinkles to LeBeau's defense.

"I played a 4-3 in college so I'm familiar with it a little bit," Keisel said. "That would really surprise me if we automatically went to a 4-3. We do run some 4-3 things with our nickel and dime packages. I don't think it would be that big of a step to take."

While many players were a little anxious over the hiring of a coach from the outside, they also thought change could be effective.

"It mattered a little bit, just because of the scheme," halfback Verron Haynes said. "Now we have to learn a new system. But that's part of being a professional. We're going to go grind it out and give it a chance and see what comes of it. I'm excited for the opportunity."

"This gives us a fresh start," Foote said. "Our team is pretty much intact. He's definitely coming into a great situation. He can add his insight and maybe get us back over the top."

"Change can be good, and, obviously, we're in the middle of change," Keisel said. "Who knows what's going to happen with the offense, the defense. Obviously, we'll have a new special teams coach. It will be different at work, but we're in a situation where we have a new coach and we all need to embrace him and move forward."

Like Cowher when he was hired, Tomlin is 34 years old, not much older than many of the players he will coach. His enthusiasm is another trait similar to the team's former coach, some players noted.

"When you watch his interviews on TV and hear about him, he's a motivating guy," nose tackle Chris Hoke said. "He has some similarities to coach Cowher, who coached with a lot of enthusiasm and motivated players."

"He's 34 years old," Keisel said. "I'm sure he'll come in with a lot of energy and hopefully the whole team can build off of that and start our run for Arizona next year."

The 2008 Super Bowl will be played at the Cardinals' new stadium in Glendale, Ariz.


(Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. Gerry Dulac contributed to this story. )

Steelers long shot hire hits pay dirt

Mike Tomlin, 34, speaks with reporters after being introduced yesterday as the Steelers' new head coach. Beside him are, from left, Kevin Colbert, the team's director of football operations; team Chairman Dan Rooney; Mr. Tomlin's wife, Kiya; and team President Art Rooney II.

"What we are going to do is promise to have a first-class, blue-collar work ethic in how we approach our business." -- New Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin

By Ed Bouchette
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It took little time for the new, young Steelers coach to allay fears that he would slash everything on a team one year removed from a Super Bowl championship -- from their defense to the psyche of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Mike Tomlin, formally introduced as the Steelers' third head coach in 38 years, went to work quickly on his staff, hiring both coordinators. He confirmed that Dick LeBeau will remain as his defensive coordinator, and he promoted Bruce Arians from coaching the wide receivers to his offensive coordinator.

Tomlin, 34, has plenty more work to do, and he'll begin today in Mobile, Ala., where he will join what's left of Bill Cowher's old staff for Senior Bowl practices, scouting college players.

One coach who won't return was the runner-up to Tomlin in the 16-day search for Cowher's replacement. Russ Grimm, the team's assistant head coach and offensive line coach, will be granted a release from his contract with the Steelers at his request. Grimm could join new Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt in Arizona, but also could entertain other offers.

Grimm was considered a front-runner at one point during the coaching search, and club president Art Rooney II acknowledged yesterday that Tomlin at first was not high on their list of candidates.

"I think it's fair to say Mike was in that category in terms of our initial discussion," Art Rooney said. "He was probably a long shot when we began the discussions."

Dan Rooney, the team's chairman, denied a report that the Steelers offered Grimm the job on Saturday. He said that never happened, and he took umbrage with those who claimed Grimm accepted their offer, only to learn on Sunday that the Rooneys had changed their minds and reneged. Grimm did not return messages left on his cell phone.

Art Rooney also denied that anyone from the NFL commissioner's office or the NFL Players Association pressured the Steelers to hire Tomlin.

"No, there absolutely was no pressure like that. We knew we were going to comply with the Rooney Rule from day one in terms of our initial list. It was just a question at that point of picking who we thought would be the best coach."

The league's Rooney Rule requires each team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one minority coach, but the decision to hire a coach is left entirely up to the team's owners. It was named as such because Dan Rooney suggested the rule that was adopted by the NFL in December 2002.

The Steelers decided late last week they would choose their coach over the weekend, Art Rooney said. That eliminated the third finalist, Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, whose team won the NFC championship Sunday.

Tomlin had gone from long shot to 50-50 bet. The more the Rooneys and Colbert talked to him, the less of a long shot he became.

"The main thing you think about is, when this guy is standing up in front of your team, is he going to be able to get his message across?" Art Rooney said. "I think that, more than one thing, maybe is what convinced us that this is the guy."

Tomlin addressed a packed Steelers press room, attended by nearly 100 members of the media, with a mix of determination, vibrancy and humor.

"We intend to make no bold predictions about what we're going to do," Tomlin said. "What we are going to do is promise to have a first-class, blue collar work ethic in how we approach our business."

Both Tomlin and Art Rooney acknowledged they considered the 2007 Steelers will be a candidate again for the Super Bowl.

By keeping LeBeau as his coordinator, Tomlin indicated that the Steelers likely will stay with their 3-4 scheme in 2007, but they also could switch between a 3-4 and a 4-3, as some NFL teams do now. Art Rooney revealed there were long discussions about that defense before Tomlin was hired, and that it could evolve into a 4-3, although it would take a few years for them to do so as they acquire the different personnel to fit such a scheme.

Rooney suggested to Tomlin that he consider keeping some of Cowher's staff because he considered it a good one, but that the choices are up to the new head coach.

"Continuity is a factor," Tomlin said of his new staff. "It's not the only factor. We're looking for good men who happen to be good coaches."

Arians, 54, was Cleveland's offensive coordinator for three seasons before he joined the Steelers' staff in 2004. He also coached the Colts quarterbacks and was an offensive coach for two other NFL teams and three colleges, in addition to his job as head coach of Temple for six seasons in the 1980s.

He will lend some continuity to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and could be the only offensive coach to return.

"He's a franchise quarterback," Tomlin said. "Like any other position and any other player on this team, we need to be fundamentalists in how we approach our business. We need to be students of the game.

"I look forward to working with Ben in that regard. I'm excited about having an opportunity to work with a young man who is talented, who has also had some of the life experiences of being a professional athlete that he has had. He's a world champion."

Tomlin first visited Pittsburgh when he was 12 years old to play a midget football game.

"I rode the inclines and those things," said Tomlin, a Hampton, Va., native. "Some of my roommates from college were Pittsburgh guys -- Upper St. Clair, Mt. Lebanon -- so I know quite a bit about the attitude of people from the city and the great deal of pride that they have from being from here. I look forward to learning more."

As for what he knows about his new football team, Tomlin said:

"They are physically and mentally tough. They have a reputation for being that. Got some quality players; their resumes speak for themselves. And I'm sure the recent Super Bowl success and failure that followed will make them a hungry group of men."


(Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.)

Tomlin's intangibles: 'You can feel his presence'

Mike Tomlin strides into the media room at Steelers headquarters to be introduced as the team's new head coach. He was accompanied by his wife, Kiya.

By Gerry Dulac
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Moments before his former college teammate and fraternity brother was to be introduced as the 16th head coach of the Steelers, Terry Hammons was on the phone, talking about the intangible that seemingly separates Mike Tomlin from all others and describing the aura that surrounds him when he when into a room.

"He doesn't have to say a word," Hammons said. "You can feel his presence. You'll see."

Hammons knows Tomlin, 34, as well as anyone. A graduate of Upper St. Clair High School, he was a wide receiver at William & Mary College who played three seasons with Tomlin. When he wasn't sharing the same position with him on the field, Hammons would see him at the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity house on the Williamsburg, Va., campus.

Since graduation, Hammons, a corporate attorney who lives in Philadelphia, and Tomlin have remained close friends. They talked twice last week, when Tomlin emerged as the leading candidate to replace Bill Cowher. And Hammons exulted yesterday when his friend, who has been an assistant coach in the National Football League for only six seasons, was officially named to be head coach of a franchise Tomlin referred to as "one of the most storied in all of professional sports."

It was the culmination of a search in which Tomlin wowed the Steelers -- particurlarly team chairman Dan Rooney and president Art Rooney II -- the first time he walked into their interview room.

"He's extremely intelligent and absolutely confident in everything he does," Hammons said. "And you could be sure of one thing -- he was never intimidated or anything like that. I used to talk more than Mike on the field, but I had the confidence to do that, to talk to guys who were bigger, stronger and faster than me, because of Mike. He had that swagger about him."

The decision to hire Tomlin over offensive line coach Russ Grimm might have been a surprise to those who look at Tomlin's age or his limited NFL resume.

But it is not to those who have coached with him, including Tony Dungy, the man who gave him his start in the NFL; or even Jimmye Laycock, the man who coached him in college.

"I'm really excited for Mike," Dungy said yesterday, a day after his Indianapolis Colts team advanced to the Super Bowl with a 38-34 victory against New England in the AFC Championship game. "Number one, he's going to a great organization. I told him? you're not going to find a better organization in the NFL for a young coach to go in there and be supported. He's going to get to show what he can do. He's a tremendous young coach, a great communicator. He's a guy who has a real exuberant personality who I think the players are going to enjoy playing for, and I'm excited for him."

"He's very intelligent, very enthusiastic and very organized," said Laycock, who was been head coach for 27 years at William & Mary. "He must have a good way of getting across to the players and coaches what he expects and what he wants. It's one thing to know it. It's another thing to communicate it and get them to do it."

To be sure, it comes as no shock to Tomlin's older brother, Ed, 38, who owns a boutique law firm and title company in Bowie, Md. The initial surprise for Ed Tomlin came six years ago when his brother, 29 at the time, was hired as secondary coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mike Tomlin was an assistant coach at the University of Cincinnati in 2001.

"Once he got to Tampa Bay and we saw him settle in as a coach and hone his craft, it wasn't a matter of if, just when" he would be a head coach, Ed Tomlin said last night, hours after watching his brother's press conference on a television website. "He speaks from a position of truth. When you're dealing with players who, from the time they were successful in high school, were treated like they were special, they can appreciate someone who is honest with them."

The move to Tampa Bay, where he spent a year with Dungy and five overall with the Buccaneers, was the beginning of Tomlin's meteoric ascent through the NFL. He was hired last year to be defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings, and he turned the Vikings into the league's best run defense.

But it's not the numbers that stand out with Tomlin, or even his knowledge of football. It's everything that goes with it, including his character.

"When you have character, leadership, you don't have to wait for it to light," said Detroit Lions Coach Rod Marinelli, who coached with Tomlin in Tampa Bay. "The thing you'll see is his intelligence. He is an extremely bright guy who is confident and humble."

Marinelli said Tomlin, who learned from Dungy the Cover-2 defense he employed with the Vikings, is so adaptable he would have no problem using a 3-4 defense with the Steelers. To that end, Tomlin said he will retain defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau on his coaching staff.

"He's a teacher," Marinelli said. "It's not what you're doing -- it's how you're doing it."

And that is what the Steelers saw in Tomlin, a three-year peformer at William & Mary who finished his career with 101 catches, 2,053 yards and 20 touchdowns. He did not play professionally after college, opting to become an assistant coach at Virginia Military Institute in 1995, a year after graduation.

He spent one season there, another as a graduate assistant at the University of Memphis and two years as wide receivers coach at Arkansas State. When he went to Cincinnati in 1999, the former wide receiver became a defensive coach, working with the Bearcats' secondary. After three years there, he moved to the NFL, at the tender age of 29, wowing Dungy and the rest of the Bucs' defensive coaches with his presence.

Now this.

In the end, after 16 days of searching for Cowher's replacement, it was really all about Tomlin walking into a room and the Steelers feeling his presence. And it happened on Jan. 10, the first time the Steelers brought him to town for an interview.

"He's an impressive young guy," Art Rooney II said, nearly two hours after he presented Tomlin as his team's coach. "You get in a room and spend two or three hours with Mike, you come away feeling like this is a special person.

"The main thing you think about is when this guy is standing up in front of your team, is he going to get his message across. That more than any one thing is what convinced us this was the guy."

(Gerry Dulac can be reached at gdulac@post-gazette.com. )

Ron Cook: Were others 'ruled' out by Rooney?

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It's one thing if Mike Tomlin got the Steelers' job because he's the best candidate. If he is, that's terrific. Welcome to Pittsburgh. Best of luck. End of story.

But what if Tomlin isn't necessarily the best choice? What if he got the job because Steelers owner Dan Rooney cares just a little more about his NFL legacy than about his franchise? What if Tomlin got the job, at least in part, because of the Rooney Rule?

Would that be disturbing?

If Tomlin is successful, those questions won't be asked again. No one will care about the reasons behind his hiring as long as he wins. But if Tomlin isn't successful? The questions won't go away, at least not until the Steelers hire the next coach after him.

That doesn't mean Tomlin wasn't impressive at his coming-out party yesterday at the team's South Side headquarters. He made a tremendous first impression. He was properly respectful of the Steelers' proud history. He eased a lot of people's concerns when he announced he was keeping highly regarded Dick LeBeau as his defensive coordinator even though LeBeau runs a 3-4 defense and he prefers a 4-3, saying he was willing to be flexible with his strategy. "Part of good coaching is doing what your guys do well." He was funny at times, especially when he was asked if he was going to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., this week to interview assistant coach candidates.

"They've got some players there, too," Tomlin said. "That's job one. Coaches are overrated. If you've got good players, you've got a chance."

It was good stuff, all of it.

But let's be real here.

No matter how great Tomlin came across, it's impossible to pronounce judgment on his hiring at this point, just as it would be impossible to do if one of the Steelers' other finalists -- their assistant head coach Russ Grimm and Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera -- had been hired. Each of the three men has an impressive resume. Each has worked for mentors in the coaching business -- Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, in Tomlin's case -- who can't wait to tell the world how wonderful he is. Each, on paper at least, appears to need just that one big break.

One more thing, though:

Each has never worked a game as an NFL head coach.

So who can say for sure?

We'll know more about Tomlin after he settles in and does his thing at the team's minicamps and training camp. Certainly, we'll know more once the games count and he has to motivate the players, do all the X's and O's and make instantaneous decisions under the gun and -- don't underestimate this -- match the high level of success established by his predecessor, Bill Cowher.

Only then will we begin to be able to judge Tomlin.

For now, though, it would be a lot easier to endorse Tomlin's hiring if the Steelers were coming off a 4-12 season and had a crying need for major change. But that's not the case. The team went an underachieving 8-8 this season, but the players rightfully believe, with a little luck and good health, they can make it two Super Bowls in three years next season. For that reason and that reason alone, the wish here was for the Steelers to stay in-house with their hire, preferably their former offensive coordinator, Ken Whisenhunt, who took the Arizona Cardinals' head coaching job, but, if not him, Grimm. No matter the new coach, he is going to have to learn on the job. Better to do it while maintaining some semblance of continuity than doing it amid significant change, the kind of change Tomlin surely will insist on even after keeping LeBeau and maybe playing some 4-3 defense.

Obviously, the Rooneys disagree.

It's hard to believe the Rooney Rule didn't have some impact on their decision.

It's nice to think we're long past race mattering in sports, but we'd be kidding ourselves if we believe that. We saw as recently as Sunday that race still very much is an issue when everyone -- including the two men involved -- made a big deal of Dungy's Colts and Lovie Smith's Bears winning the conference championship games, putting the first African-American coaches in the Super Bowl and assuring one will win Feb. 4 in Miami.

Race also still has to matter to Dan Rooney, even if he won't admit it. He's chairman of the NFL's committee on workplace diversity and, in 2002, pushed for the rule that mandates NFL teams to interview a minority when it has a head coaching vacancy.

Tomlin acknowledged the Rooney Rule probably opened the Steelers' door to him but downplayed that it had any part in his hiring once the candidates started competing for the job. "Men like the Rooneys want to win."

Rooney, for his part, said race had no impact in the Tomlin hiring.

It would have been shocking if he said otherwise.

That doesn't mean there wasn't at least some pressure on Rooney through this coaching search. The rule is named after him. Two of the NFL's seven black coaches last season -- Arizona's Dennis Green and Oakland's Art Shell -- were fired. Three of the teams that had openings this month, Atlanta, Arizona and Miami, filled them with white coaches. None of it looks good for a league that has a majority of black players.

Rooney knows that.

It's understandable if Rooney has reached the point in his life where he really cares about his impact on the NFL. He's already a giant in the game, a Hall of Famer. The hiring of Tomlin will only enhance his brilliant reputation at league headquarters.

It remains to be seen, though, if the decision turns out to be popular in Pittsburgh and with Steelers fans.

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.

Steelers, Tomlin working out four-year deal

By The Associated Press
Monday, January 22, 2007


Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin accepted the Pittsburgh Steelers' coaching job Sunday night and was working out a four-year contract he hoped to complete Monday, people close to the search told The Associated Press.

They requested anonymity because the Steelers have asked all parties involved in the search to not speak to reporters until they can make the announcement, which could come Monday or Tuesday.

Tomlin is expected to make around $2.5 million per year, the going rate of late for first-time NFL coaching hires. Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher resigned Jan. 5 following 15 seasons after apparently rejecting a $6 million per year contract extension offer earlier this year.

Tomlin's hiring completed a frantic 2 1/2-week search in which he was initially viewed as an unlikely choice behind perceived front-runners Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm, only to land the job after impressing the Steelers with his motivation, intensity, knowledge of defense and enthusiasm.

"It's humbling," Tomlin said last week of being in the running to become only the third Steelers coach in 38 years. "These are great football people. I've got a great deal of respect for what they do and what they've done. It's just a very humbling experience to be involved in but, at the same time, professional football is what I do and I'm a competitor like everyone else."

The 34-year-old Tomlin, a defensive coordinator for only one season, was chosen over Grimm, the Steelers' assistant head coach for three years and Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. The Steelers decided Sunday not to give Rivera a second interview because they couldn't talk with him again until Feb. 5, the day after the Super Bowl.

The Steelers issued a statement Sunday morning saying they had not concluded a deal and didn't expect to on Sunday, but the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette later reported Grimm had been told Tomlin was the choice.

However, the Steelers did not deny Tomlin was the choice, only that they did not have a contract with their new coach and did not expect to have one Sunday.

While the Steelers have not interviewed any candidates since meeting with Tomlin for 3 1/2 hours Tuesday and Grimm for six hours Wednesday, there was a flurry of reports — at times conflicting — over the weekend.

SI.com, Sports Illustrated's Web site, and, later, ESPN.com, reported Saturday the Steelers had decided on Tomlin, the Vikings' defensive coordinator, or begun contract talks with him. On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review — citing unidentified sources — reported that Grimm was the choice.

However, a source close to the search said no offer was made to Tomlin until Sunday afternoon, about 24 hours after it was first reported he was the Steelers' choice. Until then, Tomlin was confused and unhappy about the mixed signals and was hoping the premature news didn't influence the Steelers' decision.

Tomlin will be the fourth consecutive coach hired by the Steelers who was a defensive assistant coach in his 30s with another team before going to Pittsburgh. Bill Austin was 37 when he was chosen in 1966, as was Chuck Noll in 1969. Cowher was 34 when he picked in 1992. Both Noll (4-0 in Super Bowls) and Cowher (1-1 in Super Bowls) took teams to multiple title games.

Dan Rooney either made the choice or was involved in hiring all four coaches.

Tomlin was a Tampa Bay assistant for five seasons before being hired by Vikings coach Brad Childress before last season. What could be tricky in Pittsburgh is assimilating Tomlin's preference for the 4-3 defense and Tampa 2 cover schemes into a Steelers defense that has long played the 3-4.
The Steelers have built their roster around players fitted for the 3-4, such as All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu and Pro Bowl nose guard Casey Hampton. Neither would seem to be nearly as well-suited for a 4-3 scheme in which the defensive ends, not the linebackers, are the primary pass rushers.

Also uncertain is whether Grimm, the assistant head coach for three seasons and the offensive line coach for six seasons, will stay and work for the coach who beat him out for the job. Grimm is under contract for next season.

Grimm and Ken Whisenhunt, the Steelers' offensive coordinator, were seen as the clear front-runners since Cowher resigned on Jan. 5, but Whisenhunt later took the Arizona Cardinals' job without waiting to see if the Steelers would hire him.

Tomlin would become the first black coach in the Steelers' 74-season history. On Sunday, Bears coach Lovie Smith became the first black coach to take his team to the Super Bowl and, a few hours later, Tomlin mentor Tony Dungy of Indianapolis became the second.

Tomlin, from Hampton, Va., was a wide receiver at William & Mary, where he caught 20 touchdown passes during his career. He later coached at VMI, Memphis, Tennessee-Martin, Arkansas State and Cincinnati before being hired by Dungy at Tampa Bay. He was the secondary coach when the Bucs returned three interceptions for touchdowns in beating Oakland 48-21 to win the Super Bowl during the 2002 season.

Childress recently said he didn't expect to keep Tomlin long, but hoped to have him for a second season. The Vikings now must look for a seventh defensive coordinator in nine years.

At 19, Crosby is NHL's biggest star

At 19, Crosby goes into first All-Star game as NHL's biggest star

By The Associated Press
Monday, January 22, 2007

Perhaps it is a surprise only that it has happened to Sidney Crosby this quickly, this impressively.

Crosby has been viewed as hockey's next great talent, one who might be good enough to rival Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, since he was setting scoring records at age 13. Now, as Crosby readies for his first All-Star game at age 19 Wednesday in Dallas — yes, the same age No. 99 and No. 66 made their All-Star debuts — it appears to be happening.

For the first time since Gretzky was setting a different standard for hockey stardom 27 years ago, a player not yet in his 20s has become his sport's signature figure. Crosby is not only the NHL's most popular player — as evidenced by his landslide win in the All-Star voting — but arguably its best player.

"Yes, definitely, there's not even any question," said Pittsburgh Penguins linemate Mark Recchi, who, while more than prejudiced, echoes a sentiment shared widely by numerous NHL players, executives and coaches.

Check out the reaction of Carson Briere, the young son of Sabres center Daniel Briere, upon learning his dad would start the All-Star game: "Wow, you get to play with Sidney Crosby!"

It's not just that Crosby is scoring, but how he's scoring, with a verve, passion and a drive. In successive games against Tampa Bay earlier this month, he scored while sliding on his side, controlling the puck while doing so, and from his knees.

Despite a politeness and maturity that would be uncommon for players five years older than himself, Crosby has an edge, too. After being sucker punched in the stomach last week by the Islanders' Jason Blake, he charged after Blake with a look that couldn't mask his anger and disdain.

No more Mr. Nice Scorer.

"I think emotion is definitely part of the game and it brings out a lot in players," Crosby said. "No doubt I get caught up in it."

Nor does he get caught up in the scoring race. Less than a year after becoming the youngest player in NHL history to have a 100-point season, the Penguins center could threaten to become the first since Lemieux in 1996 (161 points) to have a 150-point season.

Crosby has 72 points in 43 games (he missed three with a groin injury) and could hit 150 by averaging slightly more than two points per game the rest of the season — about what he averaged down the stretch of his rookie season. At the break, he leads Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis by six points and Washington's 21-year-old Alexander Ovechkin by seven points.

In Dallas, there are certain to be more of the inevitable comparisons to Gretzky, a player Crosby much resembles not only with his play but in stature. Crosby is 6 feet, 200 pounds and Gretzky was listed at 6-0, 185.

Crosby is the youngest player voted as an All-Star starter since the fan balloting began in 1986. He almost certainly would have been voted a starter last season, too, at age 18, but there was no All-Star game because of the Olympics. (And has anyone in medal-less Canada forgotten he was passed over for Team Canada?)

The game has changed considerably since Gretzky was setting virtually every scoring record imaginable — there is far more contact and much larger goalie gear now — yet Crosby is keeping pace with Gretzky's early seasons. Gretzky tied for the league lead with 137 points at 19.

Even if Crosby wishes he could hush all that talk.

"I'll always be the first guy to tell you there is never going to be another Wayne Gretzky," Crosby said before getting three points Saturday against Toronto in his final pre-All-Star game. "But it's always been a compliment when the comparison has been there and it's something that motivates you, I think, as a player to do well."

For the first time, Crosby and Gretzky will be on opposing sides this week as the Penguins play the Gretzky-coached Coyotes on Saturday night.

"Crosby has a great sense, a little bit like Gretzky, in the way he sees the play," Panthers coach Jacques Martin said. "His anticipation is outstanding."

Crosby took over the scoring lead with a six-point game against Philadelphia on Dec. 13 and has led since, only the second time a teenager has led the scoring race so deep into a season. (The first, of course, was Gretzky.)

Still, for now, Crosby isn't even the leading scorer in his own household. Just as he did as a rookie, Crosby is bunking at Lemieux's Pittsburgh-area mansion, though it's not like he's occupying a dank, dark basement apartment. The two sometimes go days without seeing each other, and Crosby says they talk little about hockey when they do share the dining room table.

Still, it's hard to imagine Peyton Manning or Albert Pujols moving in with their club owners, isn't it?

Despite being a millionaire a few times over thanks to his $850,000-a-year base salary and numerous endorsements, he always gets gift certificates from his grandmother for Christmas. This year, by the way, she upgraded from Subway to Outback Steakhouse.

Crosby is looking forward to the All-Star game but, given his personality, doesn't expect to be overwhelmed by it. Gretzky, by the way, didn't score in his first All-Star game. Lemieux had two goals and an assist in Calgary in 1985 and was chosen as the MVP.

"He really will have a good time and the guys will be great to him," Recchi said. "I hope he enjoys his first experience."

Crosby said that is a given, especially since he is likely to play on a line with Ovechkin, who beat him out last year for the rookie of the year award.

"It's going to be an enjoyable time, meeting a lot of those guys that I grew up watching and still follow," Crosby said. "It's going to be an exciting time for me, one I'm going to be a little in awe of at first but it's going to be fun. You want to enjoy it and want to play well."

Especially since he figures to play, if he stays healthy, in the next 15 to 20 of them.

"But I don't think what I do or how I handle it is going to change," he said. "When you get an experience like that, it's best to enjoy it and not worry about the things going on around you."

The Steelers Coaching Search: It's Tomlin

Vikings defensive coordinator to be announced today to take over the team from Cowher

Monday, January 22, 2007

By Ed Bouchette and Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Steelers have selected Mike Tomlin as their head coach and will announce his hiring at a news conference today.

Mr. Tomlin, 34, is the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. His agent and the Steelers were working out contract details last night that would cover a term of four years and an option year. Mr. Tomlin succeeds Bill Cowher, who also was 34 when the Steelers hired him 15 years ago.

The Steelers chose Mr. Tomlin as head coach yesterday after vacillating between him and Russ Grimm, the team's assistant head coach and offensive line coach. The Steelers decided not to wait for Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, the third finalist for the job, because he would not be available to be hired for another two weeks.

Mr. Tomlin and Mr. Grimm, 47, had second interviews for the job last week. Mr. Rivera was interviewed once.

The hiring of Mr. Tomlin will represent a radical change in at least the way the Steelers play defense. Mr. Tomlin has coached a 4-3 defense in Minnesota and is a proponent of the Cover-2 or Tampa-2 style. The Steelers played a 3-4 during Mr. Cowher's 15-year tenure using the zone blitz.

While all Steelers assistant coaches are under contract, many of them likely will not be retained by Mr. Tomlin. Wide receivers coach Bruce Arians could be the one exception. He could become offensive coordinator under Mr. Tomlin.

For sure, Mr. Grimm will leave. The Steelers likely will allow him out of his contract under the circumstances.

Dick LeBeau, in his second tenure as the Steelers' defensive coordinator, is unlikely to remain in that capacity under a head coach who believes in the 4-3 defense.

Mr. Tomlin is expected to visit the current Steelers coaching staff this week in Mobile, Ala., where the coaches are scouting the Senior Bowl practices.

One defensive coach who could join Mr. Tomlin's staff is Brett Maxie, who coached the Atlanta Falcons' defensive backs under head coach Jim Mora, who was fired after the season. Also, Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler coached with Mr. Tomlin in college at Memphis and Arkansas State.

Mr. Tomlin, who was born in Hampton, Va., and played wide receiver at William and Mary, began his coaching career at Virginia Military Institute in 1995. He coached at Memphis, Arkansas State and Cincinnati before joining the pro ranks in 2001 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under Tony Dungy and then Jon Gruden. He left the Buccaneers as their secondary coach last year to become the defensive coordinator of the Vikings under new coach Brad Childress.

His first defense in Minnesota ranked eighth overall -- No. 1 in the league against the run but tied for last against the pass as the Vikings went 6-10.

"I think regardless of who they hire to be head coach they expect him to lead, and part of leading is being prepared to do things that you feel strongly about," Mr. Tomlin said after his second interview with the Steelers Tuesday at the team's training facility on the South Side. "I'm no different than anyone else in that regard."

Mr. Tomlin was considered a long shot for the job when he was first named as a candidate shortly after Mr. Cowher resigned Jan. 5. In part because the Steelers won the Super Bowl in February, the two candidates on their staff were considered the front-runners -- Mr. Grimm and offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt.

Mr. Whisenhunt, though, accepted the head coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals last week after the Steelers gave him no guarantee he would get the job here. Mr. Grimm, who also was interviewed by the Cardinals, then was considered the front-runner for the Steelers' job.

But Mr. Tomlin thoroughly impressed the Steelers' three-man search committee -- president Art Rooney, chairman Dan Rooney and football operations director Kevin Colbert -- in his first interview, and he immediately became a serious candidate.

Mr. Tomlin becomes the first black coach of the Steelers, and only the franchise's third head coach in the past 38 years. Head coaches Lovie Smith of Chicago, which gained entry into the Super Bowl yesterday, and Kansas City's Herm Edwards also coached under Mr. Dungy. Mr. Tomlin replaced Mr. Edwards as the secondary coach in Tampa in 2001 when Mr. Edwards left to become head coach of the Jets.

Chuck Noll, hired in 1969 when he was 37, won four Super Bowls before he retired after the 1991 season. Mr. Cowher's teams made the playoffs in 10 of his 15 seasons and competed in six AFC championship games, two Super Bowls and won it all in February.

The Steelers would expect no less success from Mr. Tomlin, a vibrant and outgoing young coach whose reputation as a future head coach in the league skyrocketed the past couple of years. His defensive scheme may be different than what the Steelers have used recently, but his philosophy is pure Pittsburgh.

"I think football is a tough-man's game, it's an attrition game," Mr. Tomlin said on Tuesday. "You win by stopping the run and being able to run the ball effectively -- and doing the things winners do -- being a detailed-oriented football team, playing with great passion and executing."

MIKE TOMLIN
AT A GLANCE

Age: 34

Pro coaching experience: Vikings defensive coordinator, 2006; Buccaneers defensive backs coach, 2001-05.

College coaching experience: Cincinnati defensive backs coach, 1999-2000; Arkansas State defensive backs coach, 1998; Arkansas State wide receivers coach, 1997; Memphis graduate assistant coach, 1996; Virginia Military Institute wide receivers coach, 1995.

Playing experience:
Three-year starter at wide receiver for William and Mary, 1990-94. Finished career with 101 receptions for 2,046 yards and 20 touchdown catches.

The numbers: His defense in Minnesota ranked 8th in the NFL in total defense for 2006 and led the league in run defense. ... In a Dec. 10 game against the Lions, the Vikings held Detroit to minus-3 yards rushing, the lowest total by an NFL team in the past 45 years. ... He helped Tampa Bay's pass defense rank No. 1 in the NFL in two of his five seasons as secondary coach.

Personal info: Born in Hampton, Va. He and wife, Kiya, have two sons, Dino and Mason.


(Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. )

Steelers pick Tomlin as head coach

Sunday, January 21, 2007

By Ed Bouchette and Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Steelers have informed Mike Tomlin, the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator, that he will be their next head coach. The team plans a news conference to announce his hiring.

The sides were negotiating a contract tonight for four years and an option year.

The Steelers made their decision today between Russ Grimm, their assistant head coach and offensive line coach, and Tomlin. They informed Grimm today that they had chosen Tomlin.

Tomlin, 34, will be the fourth consecutive coach hired by the Steelers who was an assistant in his 30s with another team before arriving in Pittsburgh. Bill Austin was 37 when he was chosen in 1966, Chuck Noll was 37 in 1969 and Bill Cowher was 34 when he was hired in 1992.


More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Mike Prisuta: Steelers pick Grimm, source says

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, January 21, 2007

Russ Grimm has been offered and has accepted the Steelers' head coaching position, a source in Pittsburgh confirmed late Saturday.

Grimm, 47, succeeds Bill Cowher, who coached the Steelers for 15 seasons before resigning Jan. 5. The hiring of Grimm will be announced Monday at a news conference.

ESPN and SI.com, Sports Illustrated's Web site, reported yesterday that Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin had been chosen to replace Cowher.

An NFL source confirmed yesterday that Tomlin had not heard from the Steelers and no contract negotiations had taken place.

Grimm, a native of Scottdale, Westmoreland County, and a Pitt product, has been the Steelers' offensive line coach since 2001 and the team's assistant head coach since 2004. He played 11 seasons as a guard and center for the Washington Redskins from 1981-91 and is among 17 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2007.

Grimm began his coaching career as the Redskins' tight ends coach. He switched to offensive line coach for Washington in 1997.

Grimm was one of three finalists to replace Cowher, along with Tomlin and Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. Tomlin and Grimm had second interviews with the Steelers last week.

The Steelers would have had to wait until the Bears' season is completed to interview Rivera a second time. Chicago hosts New Orleans today in the NFC Championship Game.

Ken Whisenhunt, the Steelers' offensive coordinator last season, and Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey, a former Steelers assistant, also interviewed for the position.

Whisenhunt since has become the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

The elevation of Grimm to his first head-coaching job figures to be welcomed by the Steelers' players.

Even before Cowher officially stepped down, a consensus had formed among the players that they preferred the Steelers stay in-house when the team hired its next head coach.

Grimm's ties to the area extend far beyond the six years he has been with the Steelers.

He starred at Southmoreland High School and then developed into an All-American center while at Pitt.

A third-round pick of the Redskins in 1981, Grimm became a member of the vaunted "Hogs" offensive line that proved to be a driving force behind a team that won three Super Bowls and played in four of them during his playing career.

Grimm, who retired after the 1991 season, played in four consecutive Pro Bowls (1983-86). He got into coaching after retiring and has worked under one Hall of Fame Coach (Joe Gibbs in Washington) and another (Cowher) who will likely be enshrined in Canton one day.

Grimm inherits a team that is less than a year removed from winning the Super Bowl but faltered last season.

The Steelers lost six of their first eight games and finished 8-8. They were physically dominated in a pair of losses to AFC North archrival Baltimore and did not get a chance to defend their Super Bowl title.

In addition to Cowher and Whisenhunt, the Steelers have lost running backs coach Dick Hoak (retired) and special teams coach Kevin Spencer (special teams, Arizona) from last year's staff.

Wide receivers coach Bruce Arians has said he believed his chances of becoming Steelers offensive coordinator were very good in the event Grimm became the head coach.


Mike Prisuta can be reached at mprisuta@tribweb.com.

Steelers refute SI story

Rooney: Tomlin hasn't been hired

Sunday, January 21, 2007

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Steelers chairman Dan Rooney yesterday denied a Sports Illustrated story that said the team has chosen Mike Tomlin as its head coach.

"There's nothing to that story on the wire," Rooney said of the account that appeared yesterday afternoon on SI.com.

Other sources, most unwilling to go on the record, also denied there was any truth to the story. Tomlin, the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, denied it publicly.

"It is untrue," Tomlin told ESPN's Chris Mortensen. "I have no idea where it's coming from. I have not talked to the Rooneys today."

A source close to Russ Grimm said yesterday afternoon that Grimm had heard nothing from the Steelers. Grimm, the team's offensive line coach and assistant head coach, is one of three finalists for the job. The other is Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, who was awaiting a second interview by the Steelers if Chicago loses in the NFC championship game today. If the Bears win, they would have to wait until Feb. 5 to talk to Rivera, 45.

Grimm could not be reached for comment, but Donn Grimm told the Post-Gazette from his home in Georgia that he had not talked to his older brother yesterday.

"I think I would have heard, if he knew anything."

Michael Silver of SI.com wrote that the team would announce the hiring of Tomlin, 34, in the next two days.

Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett said he read the SI.com report, but the team had nothing new to say about the search to replace Bill Cowher.

"We have heard all the rumors, and we have nothing to confirm at this point," Lockett said.

Asked whether the team had a news conference scheduled this weekend to announce that its search for a coach was over, Lockett said, "No, nothing planned, and we would certainly tell you and all the media if we did."

Tomlin, 34, just finished his first year as defensive coordinator for the Vikings. It is believed that he and Grimm, 47, are the front-runners to replace Cowher.

Cowher resigned Jan. 5 after the Steelers ended the 2006 season with an 8-8 record, following a Super Bowl championship in February.

Cowher said he planned to spend more time with his family after coaching the Steelers for 15 years. His wife and youngest daughter moved to Raleigh, N.C., last year.


(Gene Collier and Tom Birdsong contributed to this report. Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. )

Michael Silver: Search Over

Steelers choose Vikes' Tomlin to succeed Cowher

Posted: Saturday January 20, 2007 1:57PM; Updated: Saturday January 20, 2007 10:45PM

By Michael Silver, SI.com

Mike Tomlin, defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, has been chosen as the Pittsburgh Steelers' new head coach, SI.com has learned.

The official announcement is expected to come sometime in the next two days.

Tomlin, 34, impressed the Steelers during the interview process with his organization skills, intelligence and grasp of the game, according to a source familiar with the coaching search.

He would succeed Bill Cowher, who resigned Jan. 5 after 15 seasons as the Steelers' coach.

Tomlin beat out Russ Grimm, 47, a Steelers assistant for six seasons and their assistant head coach for three, who had been considered the front-runner. The other finalist for the job was Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.

Before joining the Vikings a year ago, Tomlin had spent five years as a defensive coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Before that, he was a college assistant at Cincinnati, Arkansas State, Memphis and Virginia Military Institute.

Tomlin would become only the third Steelers head coach in 38 years and the NFL's sixth African-American head coach.

Sidney Crosby: The Kid who walks softly but carries a big stick

Sunday, January 21, 2007

By Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Mature for his age -- maybe for someone twice his age -- and in his second season in the NHL, Sidney Crosby has every reason to be living in a plush condo, enjoying life on his own.

That's not how Crosby is built.

The 19-year-old Penguins All-Star center is happily spending another winter living with the family of retired Hall of Fame player and team owner Mario Lemieux.

"I know I heard him talking, something about locking into a long-term contract over at Mario's," Penguins winger Colby Armstrong deadpanned last week.

Crosby doesn't mind the jokes.

Other than an occasional official or opponent on the ice, nothing much ruffles Crosby.

His only bad experience since moving into a wing of the Lemieux home in Sewickley Heights came fairly recently.

"It was at the mall during Christmas," Crosby said. "I don't think I've sweat that much going shopping. It was shoulder to shoulder. I did all my shopping in an hour and a half, speed-walking through that crowd. It was a stressful bunch in the mall that day. Everybody was last-minute like me.

"That's the only experience I had where I said, 'I've got to get out of here.' I was looking for a couple of teammates to set a couple good picks for me."

Oh, there have been a few other minor frustrations, mostly in trying to navigate Pittsburgh area streets.

"You ask any person on the team, I'm the worst directional person there is," Crosby said. "I don't know how to get anywhere. They give us directions for places, and I still can't figure out how to get anywhere."

It must be all those yellow lines and white dashes because Crosby has little difficulty getting where he wants among the red and blues lines on a hockey rink.

He had a six-point night Dec. 13 against Philadelphia to become the second teen-ager in NHL history to lead the league in points. The first was the legendary Wayne Gretzky. Crosby hasn't let go of that scoring lead. He entered the weekend with 23 goals and 46 assists for 69 points in 42 games.

Anyone who thinks Pittsburgh might have fallen off the hockey map since the Penguins stopped making the playoffs and Lemieux retired should know that Crosby led all players in online All-Star balloting with 825,783 votes and will start for the Eastern Conference Wednesday in Dallas.

He's the youngest player voted to a starting spot since fan balloting began in 1986. He most likely would have set the bar higher -- or would that be lower? -- last season if there had been an All-Star game instead of an Olympic break.

"Youngest" and "teen-ager" are words that cling to Crosby like the puck sticks to his blade.

He defies the terms.

Crosby is one of the Penguins' three alternate captains. They haven't had a captain since Lemieux retired midway through last season, and it would be a whopping upset if Crosby doesn't ascend to that role.

"He's very mature," Penguins general manager Ray Shero said. "In teams of leadership, he really drives our team with his emotion and, obviously, with his play."

At heart, Crosby is just one of the guys, laughing and playing around with teammates in the locker room.

"You would never know in talking to him that he's leading the league in scoring," Armstrong said. "It's pretty cool."

That might be one of the best compliments Crosby could receive.

If Crosby has attained some of his hockey objectives, he also is doing pretty well in meeting some personal goals.

"Sometimes it's not always easy, but I think it's important to live life the same way," said Crosby, a native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, who was identified as the next great player by the time he was 14 or 15.

"Some things are altered a little bit, but I don't think you can let what you do or how much money you make affect the way you handle things. That's always been the way I've approached things."

He has a base salary of $850,000, as prescribed by the NHL's collective bargaining agreement for three-year entry contracts, but his take should rise to significantly more than that with performance bonuses.

Crosby swears his wealth hasn't changed him.

"I don't think so, besides the fact that I'm able to buy things that you weren't able to buy before," he said. "I don't think I spend my money unnecessarily or anything like that. I still get gift certificates from my grandmothers every Christmas."

That would be for places such as Subway or Tim Horton's, the ubiquitous Canadian doughnut chain.

He'll take a similar low-key approach to his All-Star experience, although with the relaxed physical nature of those games, there's no telling what kind of offense Crosby might produce.

"Obviously, the All-Star game is a big deal, and it will be watched by a lot of people, but I don't see it changing a whole lot [for me]," he said. "I'm just looking forward to meeting and playing with some guys I grew up watching. It's just a great thing that celebrates hockey. You want to enjoy it, and you want to play well."

Crosby is a hockey fan, a hockey student, even a hockey nut. Last month, he knew the anniversary date of Wayne Gretzky setting the astounding record of getting his 50th goal in 39 games to start the season.

But Crosby makes sure his life isn't too one dimensional, even if he avoids the fast lane away from the ice.

Cars? "I like fast cars, but not too fast," he said. "I don't want to get myself in trouble."

Nights off? "There's not one thing in particular. I like to go to movies. Sometimes the guys go out to dinner. It's nice to stay in once in a while and relax. Nothing too crazy."

Discussions with Lemieux? "We don't really talk hockey that much at all."

Crosby doesn't shy from attention but handles it with poise. Nearly every day, he accommodates interview requests. Nearly every time he's in public around Western Pennsylvania, he gets recognized.

"Usually, they come up and say 'Hi' or ask for an autograph, but some people are too shy, so they just kind of point," he said.

"It's great. The people are really friendly. I think if you ask Mario, it's the same thing, and other guys, they say the same thing. They support you, they say hello, but they also respect your free time. I love it here. I enjoy going out. There's no bad experience or anything like that. You have a comfort level."

It's the same at the Lemieux household, where Crosby plays with Lemieux's children and sometimes eats dinner with the family.

"It's awesome there," he said. "I've become pretty close with the family. It's a perfect environment. It's nice to get away and be in that family atmosphere. When there's four kids running around, it's pretty easy to get your mind away from the rink.

"They've got a great setup. I don't have my own entrance, but I have my own wing, so there's privacy. The kids are great. I hang out with them when the time is there, and then when I need some time to get away, they're not knocking on my door or anything like that. They're good kids."

Maybe Armstrong was closer to the truth than he thought. Maybe the Lemieux family should start thinking about adoption procedures.



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(Shelly Anderson can be reached at shanderson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1721. )