PITTSBURGH (AP) -Only a week or so after giving Mike Tomlin his first pro coaching job in 2001, Tony Dungy knew he would see this day.
Dungy, then Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach, quickly realized his new assistant coach had the personality to be an NFL head coach, even though Tomlin hadn’t run a team at any level. Dungy also realized there would likely be a game, possibly a big one, in which he and Tomlin were on opposing sidelines.
That day arrives Sunday, when Dungy’s Indianapolis Colts plays Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers in a mentor vs. student matchup that perhaps came about a little sooner than might have been expected. Except to Dungy.
put Tomlin on that fast track, and now Dungy gets to see up close how well Tomlin has done his homework.
“I didn’t know him that well when I first met him, but he was very impressive in the interview,” Dungy said of hiring Tomlin, then a University of Cincinnati assistant, as Tampa Bay’s defensive backs coach. “After about a week you could say, `Here is a guy who really has his feet on the ground, really knows what he is doing.’ … It felt like he was destined for some really good things.”
Tomlin’s attitude is spilling over to his division-leading Steelers (6-2), who have overcome a difficult schedule and a season’s worth of injuries to win four of five. They lead the NFL in defense – the Giants and Redskins combined for only one TD against them the last two weeks – and are playing with confidence and a visible edge.
Dungy knows where that comes from.
“He has great confidence without coming across as cocky and he has a great way to relate to his players,” Dungy said of Tomlin.
Much like a coach named Dungy, who in a recent Sports Illustrated poll was the overwhelming choice of NFL players as the coach they would most like to play for.
his plans for dealing with players, life and big games. Like this one.
“Coach has been a mentor to me, no doubt,” Tomlin said. “He sets the standards for guys like myself that are trying to make our way in the business. It’s just knowledge (gained from) being associated with him.”
The Colts (4-4), coming off a must-win 18-15 decision over the Patriots, badly need another win to get some momentum going now in the second half of the season. The Steelers (6-2) want to keep sole possession of the AFC North lead and stay behind only Tennessee (8-0) in the AFC playoff race.
The Steelers will oppose a Manning for the second successive home game; the Giants’ Eli beat them 21-14 two weeks ago, and now Peyton Manning gets his shot. Older brother Peyton is 1-2 against the Steelers, including one of his worst defeats: a 21-18 playoff loss in January 2006 when the Colts were top-seeded in the AFC. The Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl.
Then again, no Colts quarterback has done much against Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have beaten the Colts 12 consecutive times in Pittsburgh, a 40-year run that dates to 1968. The Colts’ 41-7 win that season was so long ago, the Steelers played in long-gone Pitt Stadium and the Mannings’ father, Archie, was a sophomore quarterback at Mississippi.
s,” Colts safety Bob Sanders said.
During their practice week, the Colts were forced to devote time to preparing not only for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger but backup Byron Leftwich, who led a pair of second-half TD drives during a 23-6 victory in Washington on Monday night.
Roethlisberger is optimistic about playing despite a slightly separated right shoulder and a damaged ligament in his left little finger. He also envisions having a much better second half of the season.
“The best part about everything is we’re 6-2 and, on offense, we haven’t played our best football, not even close,” said Roethlisberger, who has 10 TD passes, eight interceptions and a below-average 79.6 passer rating. “I have played sub-par football and it’s time for that to change and it will change.”
The Steelers don’t need to change anything about a defense that statistically leads the league, is the best against the pass and No. 3 against the run.
That defense is a major worry for a Colts offense that is dead last in rushing and may not be able to run the ball well enough to keep the Steelers from pressuring Manning, whose own not-great season (12 TD passes, 9 interceptions) resembles Roethlisberger’s.
“Early in the season, the guy was coming off injuries we won’t even know about and he wasn’t playing as well, so people were doubting him, but he’s still an awesome quarterback,” Steelers safety Ryan Clark said.
Manning’s effort against New England – 21-of-29 for 254 yards and two touchdowns – was one of his best all season. The difference is, during many seasons since his rookie year in 1998, Manning had games like those almost weekly.
“We are 4-4 because we’ve had way too many penalties and too many turnovers,” Dungy said. “We’ve given up too many big plays on defense. We haven’t played as consistently as you need to play to win those close games.”
Add A Comment