A Forbes Magazine report lists Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin at $5.75 million, tying him with Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt as the 6th highest paid coach in the NFL, and 8th highest in professional sports.

Tomlin, a two-time AFC champion and winning coach of Super Bowl XLIII, is 55-25 in five seasons at the helm in Pittsburgh, most recently, a 12-4 2011 campaign.

He's helped set the bar so high in the legendary franchise, that year, without a playoff win, is seen as a disappointment.

Continue reading this post »

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin cut his pro coaching teeth as a defensive assistant with Tampa Bay under Tony Dungy. Well before he learned the nuances of the Tampa 2 defense - or even the zone blitz - Tomlin was William & Mary's version of Mike Wallace.

For his four-year string of offensive dominance at the wide receiver position, he will be inducted into the athletics Hall of Fame by his alma mater, William & Mary, Saturday.

Continue reading this post »

For the first time since he was tragically injured in a house fire in January, Steelers running backs coach Kirby Wilson visited the Steelers South Side facility Wednesday, and was reportedly honored with a cake upon his arrival.

The fire occurred mere hours before the Steelers were set to travel to Denver for their AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Broncos. Denver won the game 29-23 in overtime, despite the Steelers' rattling off 156 rushing yards - 121 from back-up RB Isaac Redman, a career high for the third-year back.

Continue reading this post »

Shortly after the new year, I had a back and forth email session with someone debating the abilities of Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin. It was a respectful debate, but the person I was talking with was certainly on the "anti-Tomlin" side of the issue.

This was right in the middle of the "should he play or shouldn't he play" Ben Roethlisberger high-ankle sprain saga: a saga that proved to be a no-win situation for Tomlin.

Continue reading this post »

First things first, let's put aside the whole Bruce Arians argument. What's done is done. Those in Steeler Nation who believe Arians got a raw deal are certainly not rooting for failure just to say "I told you so." The arguments about how and why offensive coordinators are much more vulnerable to criticism by the arm chair coaches as opposed to defensive coordinators have all been made. It's time to move on.

It makes sense that Pittsburgh went outside the building to hire their new OC. If we were talking about Dick LeBeau here, retiring in his mid-70s, I would expect the Steelers to hire from within to replace him. Why? Because everyone loves LeBeau and no one would have wanted to see him go. The front office, coaches, players and fans, all in sync with hating to see LeBeau retire, would want more of the same. Wanting more of the same lends itself to a promotion from within. But in the Arians case, there was a great divide over wanting more of the same. The building was apparently divided, players divided and we all know many in the Nation were anti-Arians. So why hire from within and risk more of the same? True, a current coach could have a whole different approach than Arians and might be a refreshing change, but it is more likely that an in-house coach would have a greater problem being "non-Arians," if that makes sense, than a fresh start from the outside.

In addition, when you hire from within, think of the dominoes. You bump up a position guy, then bump up another guy to replace the position guy, then add a real young inexperienced guy to replace the bottom of the ladder. In essence, you add to the mix a starter coach. By bringing in Haley, the Steelers have added to the mix an experienced, lifelong, successful offensive mind rather than a starter coach. That can only be a plus in draft preparations, in-house player evaluations and every other aspects of strategies and Xs and Os of offensive football. Haley will begin immediately to be an asset in drafting options.

Continue reading this post »

With confirmation that Todd Haley is at the Steelers South Side facility today and will be named the team's offensive coordinator, Phase I of the modification of the Steelers offense is complete: they found their leader.

Now, there are plenty of broader picture issues that Haley and Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin will need to prepare for come minicamp, which is just three months away.

This list is far from all-inclusive, but much of the offensive transformation will be based on these three concepts:

Continue reading this post »

In a plot twist amid a shaky offseason in Pittsburgh, linebackers coach Keith Butler has decided to remain in Pittsburgh, after meeting with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and team president Art Rooney II Monday.

The news leads to speculation as to what, exactly, Butler was given to stay.

Continue reading this post »

Steelers running backs coach Kirby Wilson sustained moderate to severe burns after a fire broke out at his north suburban Pittsburgh home around 3 a.m. ET Friday.

He will not travel with the team to Denver, and is currently hospitalized in Pittsburgh.

Continue reading this post »