STEELERS BLACK -N- GOLD POST A Pittsburgh Steelers Blog from the heart of Steelers Nation.

By Ramona Dye

Many are starting to say that our Steelers could have a season like the 2006-07 season that followed the victory of Super Bowl 40. More than pre-season and in-season injuries, turmoil and uncertainty followed the team going into what ended up as an 8-8 season.

Shortly after the Super Bowl 40 season, a then-retired Jerome Bettis said that the upcoming season would be the last coached by Bill Cowher. This set off the "Is He or Isn't He?" battle between the Bus and Cowher.

After the season opener, our Steelers went on to lose three straight games and after an easy win, our team suffered another three straight losses. Already out of playoff contention, the rest of the season lost all meaning. The shining light happened at seasons' end in the final game against Cincy in which we played lights out and knocked the Bungals out of the playoffs.

Many fans blamed Ben Roethlisberger and his near-death,  riding-without-a-helmet motorcycle crash before the season. However, I put the blame square on the shoulders of Bill Cowher. Knowing that he planned to retire, Cowher should have used that to the benefit of the Steelers players. That motivation alone could have fired up the team as had the Jerome Bettis' impending retirement fired up the team during the season before.

After the resignation of Cowher, many fans wondered why the Rooneys went outside of the existing coaching staff to hire Tomlin as head coach. Yet, the players have been comfortable with the decision.

The Rooneys are smart. In the last (40) years, they've had three coaches. You have to trust them. The decision shocked a lot of guys.  But this was the direction they wanted to go in, and I don't think there is a soul on this team who will question the Rooneys' opinion on this. -- Brett Keisel

[the Steelers have someone] who understands where we are in life. Sometimes, with older coaches, they're far removed from being 26, 27 and having to deal with the things we deal with. But he also has the expertise of a guy who's been in the league for 20, 30 years. I think it was a hire based on merit, not on color. -- Ryan Clark

Steelers Nation is beginning to see what the Rooneys saw in coach Tomlin and what his William & Mary teammates saw in him when Tomlin played wide receiver from 1990-94, a man with a sharp mind who can relate to people of different ages and backgrounds. He is a fit 6-2, with a beard trimmed along his jaw, a stylish mustache and  twinkling eyes behind Versace sunglasses.

On Tomlin, Ryan Clark has said, "Some people are better at giving orders than taking them. And it seems like he's pretty good at giving them. If he wasn't a football coach, he'd have to be somewhere, bossing somebody around."

When asked what is the most striking thing about Tomlin Ben Roethlisberger nodded and said, "He has a presence, without being boisterous. There is something about him that makes you want to know what he's thinking."

Deshea Townsend has sensed it too. He has said that Tomlin has the charisma of an actor, calling Tomlin a "Denzel Washington type."

"An actor? Yeah ? I think so," said tight end Heath Miller. "That's actually pretty good. I think he'd do well."

Tomlin laughs when he hears talk like his. He considers himself "nerdy" because he loves crossword puzzles.

Some are now wondering if the same could happen to Coach Tomlin's Super Bowl winning team. Coach Tomlin is no quitter and he has ways to motivate this team.

Tomlin has an entirely different approach toward his team than Bill Cowher had toward his. Cowher barked in the faces of players to get his point across to them. Unfortunately, Cowher lost his bark for his last season. 

Asked why he wore long sleeves during training camp, Coach Tomlin replied,  "All of a sudden, it's newsworthy. That's been the most surprising thing about the job for me at this point, that it's a big deal what clothes I choose to work in."  Tomlin added, "It's a little mental warfare on my part. All I have to do is get through training camp. After that, this is appropriate wear."

Following his first Super Bowl victory, Tomlin told the New York Times, "You wear many hats in this business and I embrace that as much as the X's and O's." He added, "I probably get more enjoyment out of watching people grow than I do preparing winning football games. It's a beautiful thing. I believe it's what we're all called to do."

Steelers legend Lynn Swann said it best when he recounted his own experience as the Steelers moved toward their first repeat Super Bowl. Swann said the Steelers had to elevate their game just to maintain their position. To excel required an even greater effort.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review quoted Tomlin talking about  Ben, "I believe he can get better....I'm sure that he does." Tomlin added, "Like everybody else, Ben is going to be here searching for the ceiling in terms of what he's capable of doing." 

Tomlin knows first-hand that sometimes Super Bowl winning teams sometimes do not finish well the following season. Tomlin coached on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during their 2003-04 7-9 season, a season after their 2002-03 Super Bowl 37 win.

He has been there, and he knows what to look for in this situation. This is Tomlin's team. He will make the difference that other head coaches have not been able to do.

As Always, Here We Go!!!