Tomlin aspires to keep improving....

[Mister Pittsburgh]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 17630.html (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_617630.html)

Personally I think they could have improved the coaching staff (Arians), improved the WR corp (no competition for the vacancy Nate left), improved the OL (could have brought in at least one FA to replace Colon or franchising Starks who are both not very good), improved ST by finding a returner (other than the scrubs they brought in).

I hate the Patriots for cheating, but in my opinion they utilize every tool available to them to improve their team. They always have multiple picks in the first day of the draft. They always sign the vet FA with some left in the tank for cheap as hell. We let guys walk away after playing out their contracts instead of thinking a year ahead of trading a guy in his last year for picks. We got a 5th round pick for Faneca walking away and signing a huge deal. What if we would have had his replacement in line and traded him before his last season? Think we could have got a second or third for him?

I know the Steelers build through the draft, and I agree that is the best way to do it.....but at some point it is ok to bring in a free agent to get you over the hump when you miss in the draft at a position for years and years (offensive line & defensive line).

[stlrz d]

We've signed free agents. We just don't sign the big name, big money types. That simply doesn't work.

For those who prefer not to click:


Steelers coach aspires to keep improving
By Scott Brown, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, March 25, 2009

DANA POINT, Calif. — He did not draw near the crowd of first-year Broncos coach Josh McDaniels, who was besieged with questions about a relationship with star quarterback Jay Cutler that soured before it even started.

But Mike Tomlin got his share of visitors at his table during a media breakfast Tuesday at the NFL owners' meetings. And he seemed just as comfortable holding court as he does presiding over practice at the Steelers' South Side facility.

That he can be as engaging as a politician belies an admission that Tomlin made earlier this week.

"I'm a private person," Tomlin said.

Privacy is a relative term with Tomlin, particularly since he became the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl. But the trait that is obscured by his outgoing persona is not the reason why he has maintained a low profile during the offseason. Tomlin said he has been busy playing "catch-up" since the Steelers' extended 2008 season condensed the period that he has to prepare for this season — and a run at another Super Bowl title.

Tomlin is nothing if not forward-thinking. That is why he allowed himself little time to celebrate a monumental achievement before turning his attention to the NFL Draft and subjects such as how to frame the Steelers' approach to the 2009 season to his players.

"Hungry is a word that I've been analyzing here of late," Tomlin said when asked if winning a Super Bowl whetted his appetite for more championships. "It's not hunger that drives me; it's not hunger that needs to drive our football team. Hunger and thirst are things that can be quenched. We have to be a driven group. We have to seek greatness."

Translation: legacies are not constructed on one championship.

That Tomlin embraces the challenge of winning multiple Super Bowls, of measuring up to a bar he may have set impossibly high for himself, offers insight into the unwavering confidence that is one of his trademarks.

"That's what impressed me from the get-go," former Raiders coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden said of Tomlin. "You can't feel real confident going around the curve when you don't know what is on the other side, but he did (as a rookie head coach). He was confident with everything he did. He hasn't changed."

Yet, Tomlin acknowledges there is a line between confidence and arrogance, which is why he said there is still room for him to grow as a coach.

"I'm not going to be resistant to change just because we won the ultimate prize," said Tomlin, who turned 37 less than two weeks ago. "I think that mistakes were made along the way like there always will be, particularly by me. Hopefully, I'm better in '09."

One thing Tomlin doesn't appear to be in 2009 is different — at least in his approach to a job that he hesitates to call work because he is so passionate about it.

"I haven't sensed any change at all," Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert said of Tomlin. "We were all were excited about winning the Super Bowl, but we all understand we have to continue to prepare for next season. I think there will be a time in June and July after the draft and the OTAs are completed when you have time to sit back and reflect."

Whether Tomlin does that remains to be seen.

"I don't view it as something like I won the lottery," he said of guiding the Steelers to their sixth Super Bowl title. "I'm proud of the sacrifices and the accomplishments of the men involved, but it was something I thought we were capable of. So the end result doesn't register the response that winning the lottery or something of that nature, where you have to pinch yourself."

Talk of Tomlin

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin on ...

Whether he plans to address the dreaded Super Bowl hangover with his players:

"I think if I attempt to avoid it, I may acknowledge the possibility of it happening exists. I'm not willing to do that. We simply are just going to prepare and attack the challenges that lie ahead for us. We know that things that happened in the past are things that happened in the past and it may affect how we're judged from a perception standpoint, but it's not going to dictate how we work or how we approach our business."

The Steelers having a target on them this season because they are the reigning Super Bowl champions:

"Bring it on; it comes with the territory. I'd rather have that problem than the opposite."

Whether he has caught up as far as the NFL Draft and other preparations for the 2009 season are concerned:

"I don't know if I'm going to have that feeling, and really I'm comfortable with a heightened sense of urgency like we're under the gun, because we are. I'm comfortable in the mentality that we need to play catch up at this point."

Whether the Steelers' offensive line has the potential to make significant improvement:

"I believe that, and I think our actions this offseason support that: our re-signing of Chris (Kemoeatu); our placing a claim on a guy like Max (Starks). We believe in the upside of the group and we also believe in the upside of the individuals. You are talking about a bunch of young guys, relatively speaking, as far as the jobs that they do, and we believe that's a group that's on the rise."

[Oviedo]

I predict you will see a 8-10 player difference on the roster next season. Tomlin will not allow complacency to set in and he will IMO not hesitate to replace people unlike Cowher.

We need to get younger and with that cheaper. I think you will see 2-3 players promoted from the practice squad plus at least 5 draftees added. to the final 53. Add one or two UDFAs that we seem to find every year and that infuses some young motivated players to challenge players who would be making a serious mistake to be complacent after a Super Bowl win. I don't think Tomlin will let what Cowher let happen.

Reference Free Agency--it is for losers. Most of the teams with cap space are perennial losers. They inflate salaries out of deperation and rarely does it equate to an equitable return. I would much rather continue to see the Steelers reward and keep their own versus "buying" some one elses who may not fit what we do or become complacent after their huge payday. There was no quality OL or DL that we had a realistic chance of getting and the ones that are there now are not better than what we have.

[steelblood]

I predict you will see a 8-10 player difference on the roster next season. Tomlin will not allow complacency to set in and he will IMO not hesitate to replace people unlike Cowher.

We need to get younger and with that cheaper. I think you will see 2-3 players promoted from the practice squad plus at least 5 draftees added. to the final 53. Add one or two UDFAs that we seem to find every year and that infuses some young motivated players to challenge players who would be making a serious mistake to be complacent after a Super Bowl win. I don't think Tomlin will let what Cowher let happen.

Reference Free Agency--it is for losers. Most of the teams with cap space are perennial losers. They inflate salaries out of deperation and rarely does it equate to an equitable return. I would much rather continue to see the Steelers reward and keep their own versus "buying" some one elses who may not fit what we do or become complacent after their huge payday. There was no quality OL or DL that we had a realistic chance of getting and the ones that are there now are not better than what we have.

Great points, well said.

[feltdizz]

I predict you will see a 8-10 player difference on the roster next season. Tomlin will not allow complacency to set in and he will IMO not hesitate to replace people unlike Cowher.

We need to get younger and with that cheaper. I think you will see 2-3 players promoted from the practice squad plus at least 5 draftees added. to the final 53. Add one or two UDFAs that we seem to find every year and that infuses some young motivated players to challenge players who would be making a serious mistake to be complacent after a Super Bowl win. I don't think Tomlin will let what Cowher let happen.

Reference Free Agency--it is for losers. Most of the teams with cap space are perennial losers. They inflate salaries out of deperation and rarely does it equate to an equitable return. I would much rather continue to see the Steelers reward and keep their own versus "buying" some one elses who may not fit what we do or become complacent after their huge payday. There was no quality OL or DL that we had a realistic chance of getting and the ones that are there now are not better than what we have.

you got that right... high profile FA signing are for selling tickets and creating off season hype.. we do sign FA's but they are rarely high profile names...

[RuthlessBurgher]

I predict you will see a 8-10 player difference on the roster next season. Tomlin will not allow complacency to set in and he will IMO not hesitate to replace people unlike Cowher.

We need to get younger and with that cheaper. I think you will see 2-3 players promoted from the practice squad plus at least 5 draftees added. to the final 53. Add one or two UDFAs that we seem to find every year and that infuses some young motivated players to challenge players who would be making a serious mistake to be complacent after a Super Bowl win. I don't think Tomlin will let what Cowher let happen.

Reference Free Agency--it is for losers. Most of the teams with cap space are perennial losers. They inflate salaries out of deperation and rarely does it equate to an equitable return. I would much rather continue to see the Steelers reward and keep their own versus "buying" some one elses who may not fit what we do or become complacent after their huge payday. There was no quality OL or DL that we had a realistic chance of getting and the ones that are there now are not better than what we have.

you got that right... high profile FA signing are for selling tickets and creating off season hype.. we do sign FA's but they are rarely high profile names...

James Farrior, Ryan Clark, Mewelde Moore, Justin Hartwig, etc. all were signed as free agents, and each helped us en route to another Super Bowl title. It's a near guarantee that Washington will not win a Super Bowl with Albert Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall.

[flippy]

If the Pats are so good, why'd they have to cheat?

Don't give them more credit than they deserve.

They barely found ways to win and they knew all the plays.

[SteelHoss]

I predict you will see a 8-10 player difference on the roster next season. Tomlin will not allow complacency to set in and he will IMO not hesitate to replace people unlike Cowher.

We need to get younger and with that cheaper. I think you will see 2-3 players promoted from the practice squad plus at least 5 draftees added. to the final 53. Add one or two UDFAs that we seem to find every year and that infuses some young motivated players to challenge players who would be making a serious mistake to be complacent after a Super Bowl win. I don't think Tomlin will let what Cowher let happen.

Reference Free Agency--it is for losers. Most of the teams with cap space are perennial losers. They inflate salaries out of deperation and rarely does it equate to an equitable return. I would much rather continue to see the Steelers reward and keep their own versus "buying" some one elses who may not fit what we do or become complacent after their huge payday. There was no quality OL or DL that we had a realistic chance of getting and the ones that are there now are not better than what we have.

Great Post! Very well said. :Agree

[Mister Pittsburgh]

If the Pats are so good, why'd they have to cheat?

Don't give them more credit than they deserve.

They barely found ways to win and they knew all the plays.

The only reason I reference them is how they seem to have multiple first day picks every year from small moves they make and they aren't afraid to use every facet to build their team like smaller trades. No way in hell am I implying we should be attempting trades involving big name players in their prime or going after big name free agents. That is for losers. Acquiring key players in positions that are thin is a great move though. I don't think there is anyone on here that would say they would rather just Sweed, Nance, and Baker fill out the 3rd & 4th WR spots and are glad we didn't bring in a vet WR to add to the mix. I think Galloway would have been a great fit but he left with no offer and signed with the cheats for dirt cheap, 1.15 million. He still has the wheels and had back to back to back 1,000 yard seasons before one season where he had injuries.

Creativity brought us Jerome Bettis. Free agency brought us Farrior and Hartings.

But the thing I agree the least with is keeping Bruce Arians. I don't think losing Willie Parker to injury for a while or losing Marvel or Kendall Simmons was the reasons for our offensive woes.

[stlrz d]

The Pasterisks have won 3 superbowls this decade. We've won 2. They haven't won any in the time that we've won 2.

I think we're doing ok. ;)

[frankthetank1]

If the Pats are so good, why'd they have to cheat?

Don't give them more credit than they deserve.

They barely found ways to win and they knew all the plays.

The only reason I reference them is how they seem to have multiple first day picks every year from small moves they make and they aren't afraid to use every facet to build their team like smaller trades. No way in hell am I implying we should be attempting trades involving big name players in their prime or going after big name free agents. That is for losers. Acquiring key players in positions that are thin is a great move though. I don't think there is anyone on here that would say they would rather just Sweed, Nance, and Baker fill out the 3rd & 4th WR spots and are glad we didn't bring in a vet WR to add to the mix. I think Galloway would have been a great fit but he left with no offer and signed with the cheats for dirt cheap, 1.15 million. He still has the wheels and had back to back to back 1,000 yard seasons before one season where he had injuries.

Creativity brought us Jerome Bettis. Free agency brought us Farrior and Hartings.

But the thing I agree the least with is keeping Bruce Arians. I don't think losing Willie Parker to injury for a while or losing Marvel or Kendall Simmons was the reasons for our offensive woes.

i agree i thought galloway would have been an ok sign kind of like terrance mathis a while back. i also would have loved it if they signed mike furrey. he isnt that old and even cheaper than galloway. id rather have a proven wr for a stop gap one or two years then go into the season with sweed, nance and whoever. especially since hines is a year older. but i always remind myself that they know what they are doing a lot more than i do. the fo has really made some great moves both signing fa's and not over paying for mediocre players. galloway is probably washed up and should retire instead of playing one more year. i bet we see a season a lot like jerry rice's last 4 seasons of his career

[RuthlessBurgher]

I'm surprised that we haven't talked to Ron Curry about a reasonable short-term deal. His skill set is similar to Randle El (a QB at UNC and a Tar Heel PG to boot), and he managed 3 seasons of 50 or more catches in Oakland. I think he could be a solid 3rd option playing in an offense with an actual real life quarterback instead of those dreg the Raiders keep throwing out there.

[Mister Pittsburgh]

Maybe they are just waiting to see what is left once they get silverback signed. There is a lot that has to take place after that like trying to sign starks long term.....extend Heath, figure out what to do with FS since this is clarks last year under this contract. I think this is Hines last year of his contract.

I would also like to sign Keyaron Fox to a deal. Dude was money on special teams and I think a solid backup ILB. I liked him and Donavan Woods.

[Oviedo]

I'm surprised that we haven't talked to Ron Curry about a reasonable short-term deal. His skill set is similar to Randle El (a QB at UNC and a Tar Heel PG to boot), and he managed 3 seasons of 50 or more catches in Oakland. I think he could be a solid 3rd option playing in an offense with an actual real life quarterback instead of those dreg the Raiders keep throwing out there.

Sweed will be next year's "3rd option" with 30+ catches and 5 TDs.

[Mister Pittsburgh]

I'm surprised that we haven't talked to Ron Curry about a reasonable short-term deal. His skill set is similar to Randle El (a QB at UNC and a Tar Heel PG to boot), and he managed 3 seasons of 50 or more catches in Oakland. I think he could be a solid 3rd option playing in an offense with an actual real life quarterback instead of those dreg the Raiders keep throwing out there.

Sweed will be next year's "3rd option" with 30+ catches and 5 TDs.

My fear, and the reason I wished/wish we would grab a vet is what happens when Hines or Holmes goes down for an extended period of time? Not sure I like the thoughts of our 100 million dollar QB throwing the ball to a combo of Hines, Sweed, Baker/Nance or Holmes, Sweed, Baker/Nance.