There has been no official confirmation from the team, but the Steelers reportedly have come to an agreement on a three-year contract extension with Coach Mike Tomlin.
Tomlin’s new contract will carry him through 2014. His previous contract, signed when the Steelers hired him in ’07, had one year and an option left. The five-year deal was worth an average of $2.5 million annually.
Tomlin’s record as coach is 31-17 in three regular seasons. He lost in his first playoff game in the 2007 season against the Jaguars at home, then the following year took the team to and won Super Bowl XLIII as they topped the Cardinals 27-23.
Now that Tomlin is done, next on the list will be football operations director Kevin Colbert. His status as of today seems a lot more clear since he is in the final year of his contract. Colbert is expected to receive a new contract as well.
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mark
July 13, 2010 at 8:12 am
For a few weeks now I was thinking the Steelers were NOT going to do this. There has been talk that the team didnt want another George Seifert or Barry Switzer in Tomlin. You know, a Super Bowl winning coach with another coaches players (Cowher). I think this is a good move. Tomlin has a great relationship with players and management and has shown he can get things done. This upcoming season has started with distraction long before the first snap of the ball, but Tomlin will now have a chance to show everyone he is above the uncertaintity that many fans and media have said about him. Justly or unjustly, it is part of the territory of being a coach. Personally, I like Tomlin and think he is a good fit for the “younger” generation of players that are now leading most every team.He will have the team competitive again this year and maybe great, not just good things are ahead.
arrow61095
July 13, 2010 at 11:21 am
I am not suprised the Steelers did this. They don’t like to let their head coaches go into the final year of their contracts, and if they hadn’t they would have created a “lame duck” head coaching situation this next year.
This is not saying that they are completely sold on Tomlin. When he was hired, Tomlin hand picked 2 coaches to join the team (special teams coordinator Bob Ligashesky & offensive line coach Larry Zierlein). Both are now gone after doing a poor job. Also, as mentioned above, the core of the team was left over from the previous staff.
In short, the Steelers will definatelly keep Tomlin next year -> and probably the following year. If the team misses the playoffs both this year and next though, he will be gone.
Pat G
July 13, 2010 at 5:41 pm
he should be gone now!! not worth the time and need a more strong coach of the KNOLL/COWHER caliber inside of the handling the players with a padded glove style!! think he is afraid to ruffle any feathers–send him to cleveland and bring mangini here!! makes a lot of sence to me!
DrGeorge
July 14, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Once again, Mark and Arrow have it right. It seems noteworthy that the Steelers gave him an extension, not a new contract. That tells me Tomlin is on a short leash.
Steelers management thought Arians should have been fired after last season; Tomlin served up four underlings instead, including Ligashesky and Zierlein, his own additions to the staff –which is the coaching equivalent of eating crow. He admitted mistakes were made. But Tomlin defended Arians because his passing production with Ben at QB is among the best in the league. However, the inability of Arians’ offense to run in the red zone cost them a shot at the playoffs last year. If Arians’ future in Pgh. rests on correcting that deficiency this year, as many suspect, Tomlin’s own future rests on managing Arians to produce those results. Tomlin won it all with Cowher’s players, so he has passed the X and Os test as a sideline coach. What he still hasn’t demonstrated is an ability to manage his own staff and players to a championship. The core players Tomlin inherited from Cowher are aging rapidly, and this is clearly a transition year. In short, Tomlin’s management skills are in question, not his coaching skills. Tomlin is faced with some tough executive decisions this year, and he must make them correctly if he hopes to stay in Pgh.
jay
July 14, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Also, Doc, I agree with you wholeheartedly but I would also add that Tomlin also has yet to get as much out of low rounder (players drafted in rounds 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7) as Cowher did. I know it’s early and potentially too premature to properly assess but name a starter (who doesn’t suck—-see William Gay) or player for that matter (again, who doesn’t suck) drafted after the third round by Tomlin’s regime (I know it’s K. Colbert who drafts but Tomlin is responsible for getting his players developed)!
DrGeorge
July 15, 2010 at 12:38 pm
A good addendum, Jay, and a point we’ve discussed often here: Tomlin’s draft classes have yet to make a statement, although some of his late round picks proved better than his early ones in terms of productivity.
The 2007 class must be considered a success: Timmons, Woodley, Spaeth, and Sepulveda. Gay was drafted late in the 5th and seems lost at CB. The rest of that class made no contribution.
The 2008 class looks like a bust, with only Mendenhall and Mundy getting significant playing time. Dixon was an interesting 5th round addition who may yet prove his worth this season. Sweed, Davis, Hills, and Humpal were disappointments. A very weak class.
The 2009 class is represented by Hood (slowly rounding into form), Wallace (an impact player), and David Johnson (an astute 7th round pick). Urbik (Rd. 2) has seen no action and looks like a major mistake; Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett show promise on occasion; and Frank Summers and Ra’Shon Harris have had trouble staying on the roster. Tomlin needs a solid contribution from two of these last five players to salvage the class.
Kevin Colbert is the director of player personnel, but he gets tons of in-put from Tomlin, the assistant coaches, and the Rooney family. From outside the organization, it’s hard to say how much influence Tomlin has over the actual draft picks. But, as you note, Jay, his responsibility for using and developing the talent after the pick is unequivocal, and those results are mixed at best. Look for Tomlin to try Gay, Burnett, and Lewis (among others) at new positions this year, and for Dixon to get on the field more often, in an effort to make these guys more productive and to make his draft picks look a bit better. The better NFL coaches find ways to make good players great by adapting schemes to their skills, not vice versa. Tomlin is still learning how to do this.
Cowher had his troubles too in thinking outside the box. He never found a role for Mike Vrabel, who became an All-Pro for New England. It took him years to find a spot for Willy Parker and James Harrison. In most of his draft years, at least two of his draft picks became starters and one more pick became a solid backup. That’s about par for the NFL. But Cowher and his staff were ver good at developing the talent they got. That’s what we need to see from Tomlin and his staff.