Tomlin on verge of landmark coaching win
Mike Tomlin’s resume speaks for itself. He’s won a Super Bowl. He’s been to two. He’s never had a losing season in 14 years as the head coach of the Steelers, even last year when he had to be without Ben Roethlisberger for 14 games.
If the Steelers can win Sunday in Baltimore, he’ll be able to add another feather to his cap. The Steelers’ 27-24 win over the Titans last Sunday marked the 139th regular-season victory for the Steelers under Tomlin.
That matches Tony Dungy for 22nd place on the NFL’s all-time wins list.
Tomlin’s next victory will make him the winningest minority head coach in NFL history.
Dungy, who gave Tomlin his first job in the NFL as his defensive backs coach in 2001 with Tampa Bay, couldn’t be happier.
“I’m just so proud of him. That’s what you hoped for when you hired him,” Dungy said in a phone interview from his home in Indianapolis earlier this week. “If he wants to, he’s going to pass a lot of guys. He could even pass Don Shula.”
Shula owns the NFL record for coaching victories with 328.
Not bad for a guy who wasn’t on the radar for the Steelers when they began their search for a replacement for Bill Cowher in 2007.
Then again, Tomlin wasn’t on Dungy’s radar initially when he began looking for a new coach for his secondary in 2001 after Herm Edwards took the head coaching position with the New York Jets.
Dungy went to the Buccaneers’ college scouts and asked if they knew of any young defensive secondary coaches in the college ranks who were good communicators and teachers.
“They said there was this young defensive backs coach at Cincinnati whose players always seemed to play above their talent level,” said Dungy, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “They kept turning out good players. They were well coached and prepared. That’s what we were looking for.”
That man was Tomlin. And though Dungy had never met the then-29-year-old assistant, he knew almost immediately he had his man on their first interview.
They were only together for that one season. Dungy was fired after a 9-7 season with the Bucs, who would go on to win the 2002 Super Bowl. But Dungy wasn’t out of work long. He was scooped up the Indianapolis Colts, with whom he won a Super Bowl in 2006.
Dungy made a pitch to bring Tomlin with him, but the Bucs wouldn’t allow it.
“I wanted to make him my defensive coordinator and they said no,” Dungy said with a laugh. “I said, ‘Look, just give me one coach. I’ll take the youngest guy.’ They recognized that he was a good, young coach as well. They said no.
“There was no question he was destined to be a head coach. I very much knew it and the Bucs knew it, too.”
That was fortunate for the Steelers. Had Tomlin become a defensive coordinator in 2002, instead of waiting until 2006 when he held that position with the Minnesota Vikings, he might not have been available when they were searching for a replacement for Cowher. He might have already gotten a head coaching job.
And he might not be poised to become the winningest minority head coach in NFL history with a Hall of Fame berth to follow.
Funny how things work out, often for the best.
This week’s picks
Steelers (plus 4) over Ravens: An unbeaten team getting four points, even on the road. OK. The Steelers were underdogs last week at Tennessee, as well. Baltimore is rested, but the Ravens’ offense has been just a little off this season, especially their passing game, which enters the weekend ranked 29th in the NFL. The running game alone won’t get it done against the Steelers, who rank second in the NFL in rushing defense. Maybe the Ravens got their offensive issues worked out in the bye. Take the Steelers to cover in a 26-24 loss
Browns (minus 2½) over Raiders: This game has serious playoff implications, believe it or not, with the Browns at 5-2 and Raiders at 3-3 both in line for the seventh spot in the AFC. Usually, I’d go against the Browns in a game with playoff implications on the line, but the Raiders aren’t used to this kind of pressure, either. And they’ll be coming east. Take the Browns, 31-28
Titans (minus 5½) over Bengals: The Bengals have been competitive with everyone but the Ravens this season. But they’ve got three of their already bad offensive linemen banged up for this game, including left tackle Jonah Williams. The Titans don’t rush the passer particularly well, but they will in this game. And Joe Mixon won’t play, either. Take the Titans, 34-24
Packers (minus 6) over Vikings: Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams should have a field day against this Minnesota secondary, which will be missing three of its top four cornerbacks, who weren’t all that good to begin with. Take the Packers, 38-20
Eagles (minus 9½) over Cowboys: The NFC East-leading Eagles at 2-4-1 are getting healthy. The Cowboys will be starting former Pine-Richland quarterback Ben DiNucci at quarterback, their third starter of the season, behind a banged up offensive line. Take the Eagles, 27-6
Last Week: 4-0-1 Overall: 22-10-3 ATS