Mike Tomlin spent only one season in Minnesota as defensive coordinator of the Vikings before his surprise hiring to run the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Yet Tomlin still managed to forge some substantial connections in the nine months he was there, and Vikings defenders are looking forward to seeing their former leader when they roll into Pittsburgh on Sunday.
“I know for a lot of guys it’s going to be exciting just because he had something to do with bringing some of us in here and he was our defensive coordinator,” cornerback Cedric Griffin said. “It’s going to be exciting to play against him.”
Tomlin was a little-known secondary coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Vikings coach Brad Childress hired him to run the defense in his first year in Minnesota. The players quickly took to the young, engaging and energetic coach, and the Vikings finished eighth in total defense in 2006.
“The nine months that he was here with us, just the interaction, telling us to play hard and play tough all the time,” Griffin said. “He was always in our ear. He definitely had a big influence in some of us.”
in the preseason last year, but this is the first real game Tomlin will have against his former team. There are plenty of players still on the roster from his lone year in Minnesota, even though Tomlin said, “it feels like a long time since I have been there.”
The Rooney family surprised many by hiring an assistant with just one year of coordinating experience to take over one of the league’s flagship franchises. But he hasn’t been a disappointment, leading the Steelers to two AFC North titles in his two seasons and the Super Bowl title last year.
That comes as no surprise to those in Minnesota.
“When I first met Mike, he seemed like a very smart guy, a very disciplined guy,” Griffin said. “He always came and talked to you like a man. He always had a lot of insight on the game. It doesn’t surprise me at all.”
Childress has watched with pride as his former assistant has enjoyed so much success, and the two occasionally exchange text messages and phone calls. Childress has sported a thick beard this season, and Tomlin texted him recently saying he approved.
“I said, ‘Yeah, well if you are doing this at 53 years old it will look salt-and-pepperish like this and with no hair as well,”’ the follically challenged Childress quipped. “Because his (hair line) is heading back. He gave me the ‘laugh out loud’ deal.”
d franchise to adopt his principles.
“He has done a wonderful job of getting his style in there and his leadership,” Childress said.
The respect is mutual.
“Brad has been a good friend to me and I will always appreciate the opportunity that he afforded me,” Tomlin said.
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SPECIAL ON SPECIAL TEAMS: Lost in the 48-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints was a record-setting performance by Domenik Hixon of the Giants.
The receiver-returnman had 303 total yards in breaking Joe Scott’s 61-year-old franchise record by 24 yards.
Hixon had 230 yards on seven kickoff returns, including a 68-yarder and a 45-yarder to set up a touchdown and field goal, respectively. He returned two punts for 27 and 24 yards, with the latter setting up another score. Hixon also caught three passes for 22 yards.
According to the Giants, he was the first player to gain at least 300 yards in a game since Arizona’s Steve Breaston had 324 yards on Sept. 28, 2008.
“I still think we left some yards out there on returns – even our offense,” Hixon said. “We ran a post that was knocked down. I felt like maybe I could have come back and caught that, jumped up and tried to make a play on that. On the (68-yard) kickoff return, maybe if I would have made another cut, maybe I wouldn’t have broken it, but I still could have gotten some extra yards on that.”
e team record on Nov. 14, 1948 in a 52-37 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at the Polo Grounds. He gained most of his yards on kickoff returns (207). He also had 22 yards rushing, 35 receiving and 15 after fielding laterals.
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MORE SPECIAL TEAMS: By adding returner Allen Rossum, the Dallas Cowboys now have five guys whose jobs are strictly as special teamers.
The others are punter Mat McBriar, kicker Nick Folk, kickoff specialist David Buehler and deep snapper L.P. Ladouceur. Each is very good at his job and a big reason the Cowboys have lived up to their offseason goal of getting better on special teams.
But having that many guys who play only in the kicking game means coach Wade Phillips will have fewer moveable parts when putting together his 45-man roster Sunday against Atlanta. This will be Rossum’s first game for Dallas.
“There’s obviously some challenges,” Phillips said. “But you’re talking about (leaving out) a backup player. How many plays would he play as compared to punt and kickoff returns, and how many plays he plays and what a difference he’d make. Right now, I think Rossum will make a difference for us.”
at back there, but he’s coming off an injury. Punt returners Patrick Crayton and Terence Newman each messed up in the last game and both are more valuable in their primary jobs as a receiver and cornerback.
“We needed a kickoff and punt return guy, a guy who could do both, and we had that opportunity to get him, so we took advantage of that,” Phillips said. “He can make a difference in field position, just like our kickoff guy makes a difference in field position.”
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FAMILY TIES: The last two times Rex Ryan played against the Raiders while defensive coordinator in Baltimore, his twin brother Rob had the same role in Oakland.
With Rob now off in Cleveland, Rex Ryan says it will be just another game when his New York Jets visit Oakland on Sunday. The Jets’ Ryan said this week he won’t be out for revenge even though the Raiders did not bring his brother back for a sixth season as defensive coordinator.
“He loves Al Davis,” Rex said of Rob. “I don’t think there’s any bad blood at all from our family heading to the Raiders, and all that. The Raiders were great to our family and Al Davis was great to my brother. So I don’t necessarily feel that. You know, I may come up with something. Nah, not really, though.”
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FAN FRUSTRATION: Clinton Portis finds it difficult to mingle among the public these days.
is sensing the anger and frustration everywhere he goes.
“I don’t think this is the time you want to be out in public talking football,” Portis said. “Everybody feel like they know what the answer is. ‘Oh, they should bench you.’ People have the craziest ideas. They think they’re on to something.
“My reply to them: ‘How would they feel if they fired you? If you had a bad day or things weren’t going well and you weren’t producing, and you were the one that they were going to fire?”’
Teammate Santana Moss said he manages to avoid such man-to-the-street give-and-take.
“I don’t get much reaction. When they see me, I’ve got a hoodie on,” Moss said. “I’m focused. I’m like that horse with the blinders on. They might say something, and I do a right short nod and keep going.”
To Portis’ credit, he was in good humor during his weekly session with reporters, especially considering the dour surroundings.
“You can’t do nothing but handle it with humor,” Portis said. “I can’t keep moping around.”
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AP Football Writer Barry Wilner and Sports Writers Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis, Joe Kay in Cincinnati, Jaime Aron in Dallas, Josh Dubow in Oakland, and Tom Canavan in East Rutherford, N.J., contributed to this story.
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