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ARTICLE Art Rooney, II: Good afternoon. We are excited today
to announce that Mike Tomlin will be the next head coach of the Pittsburgh
Steelers. I want to welcome Mike and his wife, Kiya, to
Before I introduce Mike, I want to
thank all of the people who participated in our process, particularly Ron Rivera
and Russ Grimm. It is a long process and a lot of probing and patience is
required. Obviously I also want to thank Mike, Coach Brad Childress and all the
people with the Vikings that were very patient with the process and allowing us
the access to Mike and kind of putting their lives in a holding pattern while we
were going through the process. We appreciate that. Mike Tomlin is first and foremost, a
good person. That is the first test that you have to pass and Mike certainly
passed that test with flying colors. I think in addition to that, Mike's core
values are a good match for our organization. Mike wants to play the kind of
football that has been the kind of football that the Pittsburgh Steelers have
played and he will bring that approach to our team and I think he will play the
kind of football that Steelers fans have come to appreciate through the years.
So without further adieu, I am very pleased to introduce the next coach of the
Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin. Coach Mike Tomlin: Good afternoon. First and foremost, my
wife and I would like to give honor and thanks to God for opening this door for
our family. Without a doubt, we would like to thank the Rooney family for having
interest in us and allowing me to take part in this process and naming me head
coach. It is a great honor to be a part of the most storied franchises in all of
professional sports. We are coming to grips with what that means, but we are
having fun. We intend to make no bold predictions about what we are going to do.
What we are going to do is promise to have a first-class blue collar work ethic
in how we approach our business. I will address any questions that you might
have at this time. Did anything surprise you about the
interview process? Would you have
been surprised at the beginning of the process at what is happening right
now? Nothing really surprised me about
the process I think because I was personally prepared for anything. There were
parts unknown, if you will. That is the way I approach it and I wasn't too
surprised by anything. Your two predecessors both came in
following bad down time for the franchise. Your situation is different because
they are two years removed from the Super Bowl. Do you feel any extra
pressure?
We all feel a little pressure in
this business, but that is part of the reason that we do what we do. We embrace
that. I embrace that and look forward to meeting those challenges.
What are your thoughts on Tony
Dungy? Have you spoken with him
over the past weekend? We don't have enough time for me to
talk about how I feel about Coach Dungy. I am very happy for him and Lovie Smith
with what transpired yesterday, they are two deserving men. My relationship of
respect and admiration for Coach Dungy goes beyond football. He is a life mentor
for me and I think I will just leave it at that. There is already a report that you
are going to retain Dick LeBeau. Can you confirm that? Can you talk about any assistant
coaches, or what your plan is? I will confirm that. In terms of
talking about other assistants, I don't want to get too far down the line in
terms of discussing that. I think it is going to take some discussion and
planning from a lot of people. But, yes. Anybody in this business that knows him
has a great deal of respect for Coach LeBeau and I look forward to having the
opportunity to work with him. He runs the zone blitz and you run
the 4-3 cover 2. How does that work?
How do you plan on making that work? I think part of good coaching is
doing what your guys do and what they do well. We will maximize what they are
capable of doing. If that means putting personal preferences and beliefs
schematically aside, I am willing to do that. X's and O's can be overrated at
times. You will find that we will be fundamentalists in our approach and we will
put guys in position to execute and execute at a high level. What they are
capable of doing, that's what we will do. Are you less likely to make those
changes because the team has been successful? I really think you just look at your
personnel and what they do well and what puts them in position to win.
Obviously, retaining Coach LeBeau is a big part of that. What kind of offense would you like
to see? A fundamentalist football team that
wins by attrition, that is mentally and physically tough. Of course, it is no
secret in the National Football League that in order to win you have to stop the
run and you have to run the ball effectively. I think to be general, that is
what our football team will be about. This organization has had a history
of being patient with coaches. They stay here for awhile. Is that part of the
intrigue of coming here for you? I am not a very patient person. I
don't know anybody that is successful in this business from a coaching
standpoint that is very patient. I am working on it. That is exciting, having an
opportunity to have a place where your kids can grow up and call home, and
particularly a place like Are you as calm inside as you appear
to be on the outside? Is this
situation at all overwhelming for you? I always slow it down because I
don't want to miss something. I like to tae moments like these in. I am truly
blessed to be here. I know this is not my plan. This is God's plan, so I find
comfort in that. What do you like most about this
team that you are inheriting right now? That they are physically and
mentally tough, they have a reputation for being that. They have some quality
players, their resume speaks for themselves. I am sure that the recent Super
Bowl success and the failure that followed will make them a hungry group of
men. How will you deal with players that
are almost the same age as you are? I don't think it will take them long
to realize that my goal as a coach are no different than any other coach that
they have ever had. I think mutual respect is required. I have a job to do from
a coaching standpoint and they have a job to do from a player's standpoint. My
age is my age. I have never had a problem with men. When I broke into the league
I coached John Lynch and John was older than me. I don't anticipate it being a
problem, and really more than anything I just look forward to getting to know
the men and moving forward. Can you talk about the significance
of the last 24 hours where there are two African-American coaches in the Super
Bowl and now an African-American coach becomes the coach of one of the most
historic franchises? I acknowledge that it is
significant. I am just happy for those men because I know them personally. They
have been very supportive and active in my development as a coach and as a man.
I am happy for them because I know them. I guess we will make true advances in
this process when it is no longer an issue and I know that Coach Dungy has said
that on several occasions. I think on a personal level I am just happy for those
men because I know what kind of men they are, I know what kind of coaches they
are, I know how they approach their job and they deserve what they are getting
at this point. Can you talk about your brother and
your immediate family? My brother is my big brother.
Everyone who has one understands what that's about. He was the measuring stick
for everything that I did athletically. He drove me in every way. We've always
had that relationship. I'm happy that he feels a part of that. He should feel a
part of that. Some of my toughest battles were in my backyard, and that's the
way it should be. How were your wife and kids involved in
the decision? That's how we make decisions, as a
family. Our children are too young right now to be actively involved in some of
those things. My wife and I talk quite a bit. We talk about what's good for us,
good for me professionally, but what's good for our children. That's our No. 1
job. We know what living in Were the last few days confusing for
you with the twists and turns? Not confusing for me. The Rooneys
were very up front about the process and we're it was going and how it was
going. At times I thought the false reports were comical. It wasn't necessarily
funny when they weren't going in my favor. It's part of the process. I
understand that. The two men competing yesterday and what happened in the NFL
this weekend was a nice diversion for us. We sat in the basement and cheered for
Coach Dungy and Coach Smith. Can you talk about your sideline
demeanor? I probably couldn't answer that.
You'll have to ask those around me. I don't pay attention to how I behave. I
just try to be myself. I can be emotional at times but for the most part of lean
on the side of being calm because I like to think clearly in times like that.
You're not really young as a
football coach. Everyday I go to work, I live to
learn. I've been blessed enough to be around some great coaches and great
strategists, great leaders of men. I feel like I learned a lot from all of those
people but at the same time I realize that I have to be myself. I am who I am as
a coach. I don't characterize it as a 34-year-old coach, or a 34-year-old coach
with experience. I'm a football coach. How prepared are you for the
scrutiny involved with this job? I have some sense of that. You know
that comes with the territory and that's okay. How did you get the news about your
hire? I was standing in my basement
watching a football game and Mr. Art Rooney called. Needless to say I took the
call and was very excited. I tried not to show him. It was a great family time.
We were in the basement with our three children watching football like a lot of
families on Sundays at this time of year. It was awesome. That was yesterday
afternoon? Yes. Do you know any of the current
assistant coaches here? Yes, I know a few of the guys on
staff. Coaching itself is a big fraternity. There is a mutual respect with
competition and conferences. Right now it would be best if I didn't touch on
staffing matters. That will sort itself out over the next few
days. What do you know about
I came to the city when I was 12 to
play in a little league football game. I rode the Incline. Some of my roommates
in college were You didn't hear about getting the
job on Saturday? Yes. Are you going to
Yes, and there are some players down
there as well that we'll be looking at. I think that's job one. Coaching is
overrated. If you have good players, then you have a chance. We fly to
Will you interview coaches
there? I'll talk with some men,
yes. What are your thoughts on Ben
Roethlisberger? He's a very talented quarterback.
He's a franchise quarterback. Like any other position and any other part of this
team, we have 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 to have an opportunity to work with a young man that is very talented
and has some life experiences in terms of being a professional athlete that he's
had. He's been a world champion. How much authority to you have over
personnel decisions? We'll detail those things as we go
down the line. The one thing that turned me on about this organization is that
it's a collective effort in terms of how we do things. Nothing is heaped upon
one specific person. I look forward to working with Kevin (Colbert) on personnel
matters. I'm excited about that. I really am. Are you philosophically consistent
with Colbert? I think that our collective vision
is going to grow as we continue to work together. Our core beliefs in regards to
football are similar. That's probably why I am standing here. Some of those
things will be addressed over time as we find a comfort zone working with one
another. How does a WR develop the attitude
to run the ball and play defense? I wasn't a very good wide receiver.
Playing personality and coaching personality is two different things. I've
learned that over time. This happens to be my coaching
personality. Have you called any of the
players? I haven't spoken with any players.
That will happen over the course of the next couple of
days. Will continuity be a factor in
picking coaches because of Roethlisberger? Continuity is a factor. It's not the
only factor. We're looking for good men who happen to be good coaches.
Can you talk about convincing people
about your inexperience? I can't worry about concerns that
other people might have. I've been hired to a job here and I intend to do it at
a high level. Can you make these DBs into Pro
Bowlers? That's just hardware that you earn
along the way as you compete for championships. That has to be our goal. To put
consistently winning football teams on the field to compete for championships on
a year-in and year-out basis. Things like division championships or personal
accolades are just hardware that you pick up along the
way. Do you scout for a 4-3 or 3-4 in the
draft? I'm not avoiding the question, as
coaches we have to flexible schematically to do what our guys do well. If we say
that this is our personality and this all that we're looking for in terms of a
player then we might miss out on someone that has special skills. It has to be a
blending of both if we are going to be consistently good over a long period of
time. Can you see yourself playing a 3-4
and 4-3 in the same game? Sure. Why not? As you walk by the five Super Bowl
trophies, is that incentive or pressure? I just walked by it one day, but
just purely motivation. All you want as a coach is to be a part of something
special. It's obvious that what's been done here has been special. I want to be
a part of that legacy, history. I'm honored to be here. I look forward to
pursuing those goals. Can this team make the Super
Bowl? It's our goal to contend for it
every year. Are you
Dungy-like? I'm not going to give myself that
much credit. Coach Dungy is Coach Dungy. He's been very helpful to me. At the
same time I have to be myself. Why should skeptics feel good about
you being the coach? I promise that I'm going to be
blue-collared in how I go about this business. Thoughtful in terms of the
decisions that we make. We're going to work extremely hard. We're going to work
smart. Have you spoken with Russ
Grimm? I have not. I'm sure I
will. Would you have been interviewed
without the Rooney Rule? I personally can't answer that.
Speaking to the Rooney Rule, I think it's a positive thing. It gives people an
opportunity to present themselves, their ideas, their visions. The decisions
that people make after that are totally based on who's capable of doing the job.
I think it's been an awesome experience. Maybe the rule itself opened the door
for me that may have not been open if it had not been for the rule, but once you
get into the competition phase of it, and you're competing for work, men like
the Rooneys want to win and they want to put people in position that gives their
team the best chance to do that. Have you thought about following
Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher? No, I try not to. I'm somewhat of a
football historian. I have a great deal of respect for those that came before
me. I just look forward to do my part and maybe provide a shoulder for those
that come after me to stand on. Who sits at the top of your coaching
tree? It depends on what phase of my
tree. You're five phases removed from Pop
Warner. We're reaching
now. Do your kids understand that dad is
the Steelers coach? I have a six-year-old son Michael
Dean. I have a five-year-old son Mason. I have an eight-month-old daughter
Harlyn Quinn. They understand that daddy's got a new job. They couldn't
understand the first time they saw the reports on TV and saw the
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