Mike Tomlin vs. Wade Phillips

"One of the things that has bugged me the most since Saturday night are people with great intentions saying, `great start' and `great year,'" said Tomlin. "I appreciate it, but I am not wired like that. Not that I'm a negative guy. Not that I'm a melancholy guy. I am just a football coach. I appreciate that, but there is something we are chasing here and we never will cease that chase. I'm not big into moral victories. We did some good things. We won 10 games. We won our division. It starts there, but it wasn't as well as I would have liked. The goals I set for myself, I am not bashful about.

It is a challenging gig and I love it. I couldn’t have a nine-to-five. I am not wired that way. At the same time, what makes me tick is the same thing that makes a lot of these guys tick; the challenges, the urgency, the finality of it all and the fact that people care. Steelers Nation is a big source of energy and motivation for me," said Tomlin. "From the outside looking in you respect it. I talked about it when I got here. Being a part of it is different. It is. You want to deliver for Steelers Nation. It is a driving force. It is one of the reasons I am energized. It is awesome."

"It was a very disappointing ending to a very good year," Phillips said on Monday in front of a packed press conference room. "After looking at the tape, I feel like the best team lost the game. I thought we outplayed them, but we lost. Certainly, that goes directly to the coach, and I accept that.

But this team also exceeded everyone's expectations with the number of games we won this season. I think it certainly raised the level of expectations, which it should have, and then we came up short. We ended out losing as one of the final eight teams.

I think we will learn that when you outplay a team, you need to go ahead and put them away," he said. "Right before the half, we need to make the plays so we don't get in the situation where they have a chance to get ahead of you." "