Beer We Go Steelers

We have said it before and will continue to say it, like the epoch of the current calendar, there is a BC in the Steelers calendar. That is “Before Chuck” Noll. Before Chuck Noll, the Steelers were the laughing stock of football. From 1933-1968 the Steelers won 156 games against 240 losses and 18 tie games. The only coaches to post winning seasons were Jock Sutherland and Walt Keisling during the Steelers isolation in the wilderness. Then Chuck Noll showed up and EVERYTHING changed. He built a dynasty brick by brick and he began what Coach Tomlin calls “The Standard”. The Steelers established their place in the pantheon of NFL teams and are now a model franchise.

When Chuck Noll left in 1991, he not only won four Super Bowls still an NFL record, he laid the foundation for Coach Bill Cowher’s early success as Steelers Head Coach. Despite that, I had a pretty negative opinion of Coach Noll. The press constantly grilled him as being out of touch, my more in depth knowledge of him was from Terry Bradshaw’s book, which was extremely negative. Also my non Steelers sport experiences is with the NY Yankees. In my lifetime the Steelers have had three coaches. The Yankees had three Managers in one season when I was 10 years old, so a Coach for twenty years seemed so foreign to me.

But then I heard Jack Ham’s Hall of Fame Induction speech and I began to investigate it. The more I read about Coach Noll, I began to understand his importance in Steelers history. Not only that, I have absolutely tried to follow his leadership style in my day to day business. The lessons I have learned translate so well to the type of business I want to build and continue to build.

The more I learned about Terry Bradshaw, the more I learned you should always evaluate your sources when forming opinions. Bradshaw who used to be my favorite Steeler is very self -serving. What I can say about Coach Noll, that best describes him, “He knew he was smarter than you, he just didn’t care if you knew it.” He toyed with the press and he absolutely never changed his style to please anyone.

Being from NY with two football teams including one which is a marquee NFL Franchise and one that is always good for headlines, it was very difficult to follow the Steelers in the 80’s and early 90’s. I went to college in Pa. and then I was a Steelers regular every week. I saw Coach Noll’s last full season every game and while the results were mediocre by NFL standards his coaching and demeanor are something to be admired and emulated. He did some of his best coaching the last three years of his career.

Extreme disappointment was the best way to describe my feelings when the Steelers hired Coach Cowher. I wanted Joe Greene. Right wrong or indifferent Green was my first choice because of who he was in the annals of Steeler history, he is the greatest Steeler player and would be on the Steelers Mount Rushmore next to “The Chief”, Coach Noll, and Ambassador Rooney.

Coach Cowher was a Brown for goodness sake and he coached for the Browns. Why would we shove aside a Steelers legend for this jabroni, was my first thought. Then a funny thing happened, I saw him coach and it was love at first site! ABSOLUTELY the Rooney’s nailed this one. He was exactly what they and the fan base was looking for. He was fiery and a great football coach. I probably saw 95% of Coach Cowher’s games in his entire tenure.  It was a great ride and he will always be my favorite coach. He had a very unfair knock as to never being able to win the “Big One”. Total nonsense, he was in the big one’s because of his coaching. He didn’t win the big one’s because he never had a quality QB. He built great defenses and fairly competent albeit one-dimensional offenses but like his mentor Marty Schottenheimer he won with sub-standard QB’s . Seriously, Neil O’Donnell v. Troy Aikman, the best part was, despite being double digit underdogs, the Steelers damn near pulled that Super Bowl out. How about Kordell Stewart v. John Elway? The QB is the single most important position in sports, while not the only contributing factor to winning, it is the biggest determining factor.

I have nothing but respect for Coach Cowher and what he built here. When he finally got his QB he went back to the AFC Championship against the cheating Patriots and then eventually won his Super Bowl and cemented his Hall of Fame Candidacy. The Steelers won the most games in the NFL during his tenure as coach.

When the Steelers hired Mike Tomlin, I was, wait for it…disappointed. I wanted Russ Grimm because why change direction? We built a great foundation, what is the purpose in changing? Grimm was a Pittsburgh guy at heart, a former O-lineman and one tough guy. Well again, I am first to admit I got that one wrong too. Coach Tomlin was the perfect fit and again the Rooney’s got it right. What I also liked is for the first time in my life, I am roughly the same age as Coach Tomlin. So I identify with him so much and look to his example of leadership.

He not only comes from the Coach Noll, coaching tree, he was smart enough to recognize the value of Coach LeBeau and he brought in Todd Haley, who has transformed himself from a pariah to a valuable asset.

He is the best of all worlds, the perfect amalgam of Coach Noll and Coach Cowher, He is extremely smart like Noll and a great game day coach and he is passionate like Cowher and non-risk averse. He has never posted a losing season and is easily one of the top five coaches in the NFL. I laugh when I hear the fire Tomlin chants, who would you rather have? He was the youngest Coach to win a Super Bowl and he is just about to enter the second act of his Coaching Career with players he drafted and developed. The team the Steelers have built while badly flawed, is still very exciting, dynamic and is getting better every week.

To put his impact on the franchise into perspective, I have put together the first eight years of Coach Noll’s, Coach Cowher’s and Coach Tomlin’s tenure:

Coach Tomlin has the highest winning percentage of the three! Now to be fair, keep in mind Coach Tomlin and Coach Cowher inherited great talent and personnel, Coach Noll inherited a train wreck. He had bunch of guys, that he addressed as “not talented enough” and he wiped most of them out in three years. If you ditch Coach Noll’s first season he blows by both of them in winning percentage. Also lets point out that Tomlin had the most seasoned QB at the time of his ascension.

But he still had to coach to success and guess what he did!  He out performed both his predecessors. Tomlin is a great coach. But he is also our kind of coach, carrying himself with the dignity of Coach Noll, the fiery attitude of Coach Cowher and his own private and confident swagger!