Monday, February 2, 2009

Arrogant ? or Confident?

I am probably the only one who feels this way but I do not care for the Pittsburg Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Please let me clarify. I respect what he has done for Pittsburg. I think he is one heck of a football coach.
What I don’t care for is how he carries himself of the sideline.
To me he is the picture of boy for “cocky.” There are many times that you see him on the sidelines when the camera’s go to him and he does not have his headphones on. What? You don’t need to know what is going on in the game? The look on his face has the “yeah that’s what I am talkin’ about” (use best Napolean Dynamite voice here) look on it.
I just want to slap him! Then there is the chest bump…What the hell? He is chest bumping his players?!?!? I would totally LMAO if he or the player he chest bumps comes down and completely tears his or their MCL and ACL.
My other observation is what exactly does he have to be cocky about? Did he build the team? No.
He inherited a strong team with a bunch of players in their prime.
Does A-N-Y-O-N-E give credit to Barry Switzer for his SB with the Cowboys? Heck no! He let that plane fly itself and they had so much talent they still won.
I give Tomlin credit for his intense demeanor and keeping the team focused week end and week out. He does a lot of things that I like!
Would I like him to be our coach? Heck yes!
I just hate how cocky he comes across.
Consequently, I hate it when they focus on the Cowboys coach after something bad happens and he looks like someone stole his Big Chief tablet with matching pencil. Don’t even get me started about when something good happens and he is running around pumping his fist 5 minutes after the event happened!
Do you go cocky or clueless?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Did he build the team? No."

Coaches do not built teams. General managers do.

"He inherited a strong team with a bunch of players in their prime."

Wrong. Bill Cowher won his Super Bowl with a Steelers team that was at the end of their run, aging and on the verge of massive free agency losses. Only 20 Steelers remain from the Bill Cowher Super Bowl team. The other 33 players, including a bunch of starters on both sides of the ball, are draft picks or free agents.

"Does A-N-Y-O-N-E give credit to Barry Switzer for his SB with the Cowboys? Heck no! He let that plane fly itself and they had so much talent they still won."

The comparison with Barry Switzer is faulty, because Switzer took over a team that had just won two Super Bowls in a row, retained most of the assistants, and did not change a thing. The Steelers were 8-8 when Tomlin took them over, and went 10-6 with a first round playoff loss in his second year.

Also, Tomlin made real changes. The Steelers under Cowher were primarily concerned with running the football and stopping the run. Tomlin added more coverages and blitzes to the defense to stop the pass, essentially working with coordinator Dick LeBeau to create a hybrid of the 3-4 defense and the Tampa Bay cover 2 defense that Tomlin learned from Dungy. And Tomlin opened up the offense as well, making the team more passing oriented.

Without Tomlin's changes, there is no way the Steelers make the Super Bowl. They had the #1 defense in the league, but without anywhere the talent of some of Cowher's better defenses. It is mostly scheme. Also, the increased emphasis on passing got the Steelers offense through a season where they had 4 new starters on the offensive line due to injury and free agency losses, and when their top 2 tailbacks spent most of the season hurt.

Cowher's Steelers would not have been as effective against the pass, and would have had real difficulty scoring points, and probably would have finished 9-7, missing the playoffs.

You can dislike Tomlin for being cocky (as if Jimmy Johnson wasn't!) and for chest - bumping all you want, but don't claim as if he is winning with someone else's team. Again, if that was the case, why did the Steelers go 18-14 in Cowher's last year and his first? Tomlin inherited some good players, but so do lots of coaches. It was Tomlin's changes to the Steelers' system and the players that they picked up since he was hired that made the difference and got them their Super Bowl.

Anonymous said...

Okay I obviously hit a little cord with you Gerald. You bring good points but I think you missing my main point. How cocky Tomlin comes across.

I think you give Tomlin a little too much credit but I have no beef with your arguement. I do think you need to tap the breaks when it comes to Pitt being a passing offense.

Pitt is and always will be a run it down your throat and make you like it team.

You proved my other point in your closing arguements in that he inherited many good players.

Please understand I do not dislike Tomlin. I even mention that I WISH HE WERE OUR COACH.

I just think he comes across arrogant. Chest bumping...really? Do we need that? Just not a fan of it.

But hey agree to disagree on some points.

EXCELLENT COMMENT THOUGH! Thanks for reading!

JDHTEACH

Anonymous said...

And they were 8-8 when Tomlin took over because they were racked with injury's that year. Not talent. Tomlin deffinately took over at the right time. JDHTEACH HAS A POINT.

Gerald you have point that Tomlin has made changes that possible JDHTEACH did not consider.

JDHTEACH does give credit to Tomlin for keeping the team focused and he does mention that he would like for Tomplin to coach the Cowboys. So try not to get too offended with your black and gold glasses.

Anonymous said...

They were talking about this on The Ticket the other day. They all said the same thing...would love to have him. Maybe Tomlin is the example of the coach the Cowboys need.

But he does come across VERY ARROGANT!

JDHTEACH IS RIGHT

Anonymous said...

Tomlin Arrogant? Maybe so but more than Bellicheck? Now there is someone who just looks at you and makes you feel dumb for asking the question....or PARCELLS??

Anonymous said...

"I do think you need to tap the breaks when it comes to Pitt being a passing offense. Pitt is and always will be a run it down your throat and make you like it team."

They may desire to be so, but that was not possible this year. Again, they were missing 4 starters on their offensive line due to free agency and injuries. Their 1st string tailback missed 5 games and was injured practically all season, and their 2nd string tailback suffered a season ending injury in September.

And yes, the Steelers did open up the offense under Tomlin and Arians. Last year, when the team was healthier, Roethlisberger had 32 TD passes. I remember when Neil O'Donnell was Pittsburgh's QB, he never even got to 20 TD passes. That got them through this year, because they absolutely were not going to run the ball with all those injuries to their RBs and OL. Look, go check the stats for the Baltimore and Arizona playoff games. The Steelers got absolutely nothing on the ground in both games. There is no way that Cowher's Steelers would have had any chance at all with so little production on the ground.

You don't have to believe me, ask the Steelers' starting tailback. He criticized Tomlin after they lost a regular season game this year for passing too much and stated "we have to get back to Steelers football."

"And they were 8-8 when Tomlin took over because they were racked with injury's that year."

You mean like they were racked with injuries this year? You don't call being down to 2nd and 3rd string RBs and OLs racked with injury?

Look, I am not callling Mike Tomlin Knute Rockne or anything. And as for Barry Switzer ... let me tell you something ... I used to LOVE watching Oklahoma's wishbone attack in the 1980s. Jamelle Holieway? Outstanding!

And did Jimmy Johnson ever beat Barry Switzer while he was coaching at Oklahoma State? Nope. He was 0-5. Johnson had Thurman Thomas AND Barry Sanders IN THE SAME BACKFIELD and still couldn't beat Switzer at Oklahoma. Why people regard Switzer as some sort of bad coach, completely ignoring his 5 rings (4 in college, 1 in the NFL) is beyond me. These are probably the same people that think that Rick Neuheisel is a great coach or something. Or maybe Terry and Tommy Bowden are more their speed.

In my opinion, calling Mike Tomlin "Barry Switzer" would be a compliment, because Tomlin would do well to add 4 more rings to his coaching career, whether he gets them in the NFL or in college. That would make the fellow a Hall of Fame coach.

Anyway, after hearing about how Tomlin mocked the Cleveland Browns today, I guess you are right ... the guy is cocky. I hope Tony Dungy calls him on the telephone and tells him the importance of humility. Or hopefully his wife will get on him.

Thanks for letting me post on your site. Better luck next year, Cowboys fans! I used to root for you guys back in the 1990s because Emmitt Smith was an SEC guy, and Nate Newton played at my alma mater.

JDHTEACH said...

Gerald, I missed what Tomlin said about Cleveland. What did he say?

Okay, where to start...

You are correct Pitt opened it up this year but thier identity is running the ball. That is all I am saying.

Switzer- is a fine coach. He did not handle the Pro team very well.

I don't think I said anywhere that Jimmy was all that and a bag of chips. He was good for what we needed but his ego and Jones could not fit in a barn.

I like Tomlins coaching approach. I just don't like how he comes across.

I do think that Pitt could have won the superbowl with other coaches than Tomlin but like I mentioned I give him credit for what he has done and I would love to have him here.

Anything other than the Big Chief tablet carrying coach we have.