It's no secret that Steelers nation loves to hear Mike Tomlin speak. There might be no greater testament to this fact than the brilliant Tomlinism Tournament hosted by Maryrose at BTSC this summer.  

Several months have passed since we voted for a winner in the Tomlinism Super Bowl. For those of you who have forgotten, that winner was 

"Every day I walk by five Lombardi Trophies, not five rushing titles."

As Tomlin himself likes to point out, it's a new season with new challenges.  And what you have to like about Tomlin, apart from the fact that the line now has to be changed to "Every day I walk by six Lombardi Trophies", is that he keeps coming up with new pearls of coaching wisdom.  

Personally, I've come to think of Mike Tomlin as not just the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but as the coach of Steeler Nation. Each week he delivers a healthy dose of  wisdom nuggets, in tasty snack sized packets. He's like a self-help guru for the football obsessed. 

I thought it would be good to have an extra post up here to capture some of the new gold that's come our way since late June.  

via l.yimg.com

Let's be clear. As the picture clearly indicates, Mike Tomlin does not suffer fools.

That's not to say he's overly tough with his players. He is no Parcells or Coughlin. He doesn't even yell like the chin.  What he does is deal with issues head on.  

Since arriving in Pittsburgh, he has deftly handled one personnel issue after another.  Remember Alan Faneca's semi-open rebellion?  Handled with class. What about Casey Hampton's exploding waist line?  Check. Willie Parker's rushing title fantasies?  The 5 Lombardi trophies quote squashed that contraversy before it could take off. This year we saw how Tomlin deal with Rashard Mendenhall's failure to study the play book. No doghouses, just action and the thoughtful words to back it up.   

As Homer J. points out below, Tomlin is always in command of his language. He doesn't waste words or time.  Here are some of my favorite gems from this year:  

On the nature of emotion

Q: Were you worried when Troy came up limping?

A: I’ve learned to become a flat-liner. There’s a lot out there that’ll make your heart jump if you allow it.

We don't ride the emotional roller-coaster. 

 

On dealing with obstacles, frustration and public urination: 

Q: Is there a degree of frustration on your part in having to deal with this matter (Jeff reed hitting cops)?

A: I wouldn’t necessarily call it frustration. I acknowledge what comes with this job. I’d like to be 6-0 but I’m not. I don’t always get what I want in this business. It’s not something that’s pleasant. Anything that takes away from game preparation and game readiness is a distraction. Anything that sheds a negative light on this organization or its players is a distraction. It’s not something that’s pleasant, but I’m paid and paid well to deal with it, and I’ll do that.

On being ready,(particularly Ziggy Hood's ability to step in for Aaron Smith.) 

He’s got a lot of talent. He’s not out of the oven yet, if you will. 

On respecting the opposition

Q: Cleveland’s QB was 2-for-17 last week. I assume you’ll prepare for him the same way you did Jay Cutler who was coming off a bad game.

A: You know, you guys chuckled when I made that reference in regards to Cutler. There’s not enough respect for what professionals are capable of in today’s NFL, if you ask my opinion...As a matter of fact, I know just the opposite:  Usually guys of his caliber do bounce back and respond with favorable performances, so we anticipate him being his best.

On work ethic and improvement

Q: How much better can Rashard get?

A: Boy, he’d better continue to do that...As long as he respects the preparation process and continues to come in here with a humble and willing-to-work demeanor like he has, I see no reason why he doesn’t continue to improve.

On "discussions" with the press and the public

Q: What about closing out games?

A: I’m always going to see room for improvement. I don’t get preoccupied with some of the discussions that we have, to be quite honest with you. There’s always going to be discussions, there are always going to be areas that need improvement. I haven’t answered a running game question here in a couple of weeks. I haven’t answered a protection question here in the last few weeks. The issue now is finishing out games in the fourth quarter. So be it. I just answer questions. As long as we find ways to win, I don’t have any problem with what we talk about.

On playing Legursky at Fullback and the nature of ability. 

Availability is a good ability.

On challenges in football (and life)

Q: Are you worried about your vulnerable secondary late in the game against a great quarterback?

A: No, quite frankly I don’t. This is what you live for. Even when it’s bad in this business, it’s great. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do. I think members of our secondary feel the same way. I know they’ll be chomping at the bit for the challenges of facing a guy the caliber of Philip Rivers. When you do what we do for a living, that’s what you love. 

On excuses (when asked if losing a pro-bowl safety contributed to the defenses fourth quarter collapses)

 I’m not going to dispute that, but at the same time I’m not going to use that as an excuse.

On the doghouse

Q: Is Rashard Mendenhall still in the doghouse? What steps does he need to make to see the field?

A: He is not in the doghouse. I don’t have a doghouse. A doghouse is something you have when you let things stew and you don’t take action. I intend to take action and I’m done with it. 

On the nature of time: 

 Man, next Monday is so far away right now I haven’t even pondered that thought at this time. The world ends on Sunday, as far as I’m concerned.

On winning

I am always surprised when we don’t win.

I am sure there are many more out there. On a related note, I think that we should start taking the real gems and putting them up on Wikiquote.  This may not be a project I can devote time to ( :.