Mike
Tomlin was named the
16th head coach in Pittsburgh Steelers history on
Jan.
22, 2007. Tomlin was the Minnesota Vikings
defensive coordinator in 2006 after spending the previous five seasons (2001-05)
as defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tomlin replaced Bill
Cowher, who resigned on Jan. 5 after 15 seasons as the Steelers' head
coach.
The Vikings defense
ranked eighth in the NFL and first against the run in Tomlin's only season as
defensive coordinator. The Vikings did not allow a 100-yard rusher and held
Detroit to minus-(-3) yards
rushing on Dec. 10.
Before becoming
Minnesota's defensive
coordinator, Tomlin was a part of one of the top defenses in the league during
the past five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their defensive backs
coach. Tomlin's defensive backs have earned numerous honors for their play
during his coaching tenure. Perennial Pro Bowl cornerback Ronde Barber earned
trips to Hawaii in 2001, '04 and '05,
and safety John Lynch was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2001 and '02.
During Tomlin's time in TampaBay, the Buccaneers'
defense led the league twice in overall defense and was ranked in the top five
in the NFL in total defense and in pass defense in four out of five seasons. In
2002 Tomlin's top-ranked secondary recorded four of Tampa Bay's five
interceptions, returning two for TDs, in Super Bowl XXXVII as his unit helped
lead the Buccaneers to its first world championship.
In 2005
TampaBay led the NFL in total
defense, allowing 277.8 yards per game, and finished 6th in the NFL
in passing defense at 183.1 yards per game. It marked the ninth consecutive
season that the Buccaneers' defense (1997-2005) has ranked in the top 10 in the
NFL in total defense, the longest current streak in the league. Tomlin helped
guide Barber to his third career Pro Bowl selection as he set a
TampaBay single-season record
for most tackles by a cornerback with 120, breaking his mark of 111 in 2003 and
2004. His 120 tackles ranked third on the team and he led the team with five
interceptions, which tied for seventh in the NFC. Barber started all 16 games
for the sixth consecutive year and led the team with 22 passes defensed. Tomlin
also tutored cornerback Brian Kelly, who ranked second on the team and tied for
ninth in the NFC with four interceptions. He also added 60 tackles, a sack, a
forced fumble, and was second on the team with 16 passes defensed. Kelly tied a
career-high with two interceptions at Minnesota (9/11) in the season
opener. Safety Jermaine Phillips set a career-high with 85 tackles on the year,
which ranked fifth on the team. Safety Will Allen ranked tenth on the team with
51 tackles and finished third with three interceptions in only his second season
in the league. Veteran safety Dexter Jackson posted 54 tackles, five passes
defensed, and an interception.
The
TampaBay secondary lead the
defense in 2004 to final rankings of fifth in total defense (284.5 ypg) and
first in pass defense (123.3 ypg). Barber led the secondary again as he was
named to his second career Pro Bowl, leading the defensive backs and ranking
fourth on the team with 111 tackles. He also led the team in tackles for loss
(nine) for the second straight season and ranked second on the team with three
INTs, third with 12 passes defensed, and sixth with 3.0 sacks. Tomlin's
secondary was strengthened by the return of Kelly, who missed the majority of
the 2003 campaign with injury. Like Barber, he started all 16 games and finished
tied for second in the NFL with a team-leading 22 passes defensed. Kelly also
led the team and ranked tied for tenth in the NFC with four interceptions.
Phillips started the first nine games of the season before sustaining a left
forearm fracture that landed him on injured reserve. Before the injury, Phillips
recorded 71 tackles, an interception, and a sack. At strong safety, Dwight Smith
started all 16 games and surpassed the 100-tackle mark for the first time in his
career, ranking fifth on the team with a career-high 104 tackles. He also led
the team with four forced fumbles and ranked second with a career-high 14 passes
defensed.
Despite several
starters missing time to injury in 2003, Tomlin's defensive backs formed one of
the NFL's top secondary units as they helped the Buccaneer defense finish fifth
in the league in total defense (279.1 ypg) and third in passing defense (169.1
ypg). Barber was once again Tomlin's top performer in the secondary as he
started all 16 games for the fourth consecutive year and led the secondary and
finished second on the team with a career-high 111 tackles. He was one of only
two Bucs (DE Simeon Rice) to record a statistic in every defensive category on
the season, finishing with two INTs, nine passes defensed, two forced fumbles,
1.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, and a team-high 5.0 tackles for loss. Tomlin did
not have the services of Kelly for most of the 2003 season after he was placed
on injured reserve after five games with a left pectoral injury. Tomlin used a
variety of starting lineups, but second-year cornerback Tim Wansley took the
majority of Kelly's snaps in the starter's position. Wansley played in 12 games
with six starts and posted the first two interceptions of his career, which tied
him for second on the team. Tomlin's secondary was aided by the versatility of
cornerback/safety Smith, who was slated to start at free safety but saw action
in 2003 at every position in the defensive backfield. Starting all 16 games,
(nine at FS, six at CB, one at SS), he led the team with a career-high five INTs
and ranked fifth on the team with 85 tackles. Lynch recorded 95 tackles (fourth
on the team) and ranked tied for second with two interceptions despite suffering
from a right shoulder stinger for most of the season. Tomlin also helped in the
grooming of second-year safety Phillips as he appeared in 14 games with seven
starts and finished with 49 tackles and three forced
fumbles.
In 2002 Tomlin guided
one of the most productive defensive backfields in the NFL, culminating with its
performance in Super Bowl XXXVII. The secondary recorded four of Rich Gannon's
five interceptions, returning two for TDs to help
TampaBay capture the
franchise's first Super Bowl title. Jackson's two first-half INTs
earned him Super Bowl MVP honors while Smith returned both of his INTs for TDs
to set a Super Bowl record.
The secondary led a defensive unit that
ranked first in the NFL in pass defense in '02, allowing only 155.6 yards per
game through the air. The defense led the NFL with 31 interceptions and also led
the NFL by limiting opposing quarterbacks to a 48.4 rating and just 10 TD
passes. Under Tomlin's tutelage, Lynch earned first-team All-Pro honors for the
fourth consecutive season and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time.
Lynch recorded three INTs and ranked third on the team with 96 tackles. Barber
was named to the All-Pro second-team as he finished second in the secondary and
fourth on the team with 95 tackles. In his first full season as a cornerback,
Kelly tied for first in the NFL with a career-high eight INTs and also posted
career-highs in tackles (78) and passes defensed (23). Second-year cornerback
Smith had a breakout season as the team's nickel back as he ranked third on the
team with four INTs despite making only two starts.
Tomlin joined the
TampaBay staff and made an
immediate impact in 2001 as he helped the Bucs' defense to a fifth-place ranking
in the NFL in pass defense and second in the NFL with 28 interceptions. Under
Tomlin's direction, Barber earned his first career trip to the Pro Bowl as he
tied for the NFL lead with a career-high 10 INTs. Lynch was selected to his
fourth straight Pro Bowl after passing the 100-tackle mark for the sixth
straight season.
Prior to joining
TampaBay's staff, Tomlin
served two seasons as the defensive backs coach at the
University of
Cincinnati (1999-00). He took
over a secondary unit there that ranked 111th in the nation in pass
defense in 1998 and helped them improve to 61st overall in his first
season in '99. Under Tomlin's direction in 2000, the Bearcats ranked eight in
the nation in INTs as well as fourth nationally in total turnovers. Prior to
joining the Cincinnati staff, Tomlin had a
short stint on the coaching staff at Tennessee-Martin and then spent two seasons
at ArkansasState. He coached the wide
receivers there in 1997 before switching to defensive backs in 1998. Tomlin
spent the 1996 season as a graduate assistant at the
University of
Memphis, where he worked with
the Tiger defensive backs and special teams units. He began his coaching career
in 1995 as wide receivers coach at Virginia Military
Institute.
Tomlin was a
three-year starter at wide receiver at William and Mary (1990-94) and finished
his career with 101 receptions for 2,046 yards and a school-record 20 TD
catches. A first-team All-Yankee Conference selection in 1994, he established a
school record with a 20.2 yards per catch average. Tomlin was a teammate of
current Viking Pro Bowl safety Darren Sharper at William and
Mary.
Tomlin (3/15/72)
was born in Hampton, Va. He and his wife, Kiya, have two sons, Dino and Mason
and a daughter Harlyn
Quinn.
Coaching Exp: 13 seasons
NFL Coaching Exp: 7 seasons
Coaching
History
2007………………Pittsburgh (head coach)
2006………………Minnesota (defensive coordinator)
2001-05…………..Tampa Bay (defensive
backs)
1999-00…………..University of Cincinnati (defensive
backs)
