Tomlin earns 100th coaching win
BUFFALO 鈥� Sunday鈥檚 win by the Steelers marked the 100th of Mike Tomlin鈥檚 coaching career and made them the only franchise in the NFL to have three coaches with 100 wins.
Chuck Noll had 193 wins and Bill Cowher had 149.
Tomlin reached 100 wins earlier than either former coach. His occurred in game number 157. It took Noll 158 games to win 100 and it took Cowher 163.
Tomlin joins Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy, Joe Gibbs, John Madden, Mike McCarthy, George Seifert and Don Shula as the only NFL coaches to win 100 games in their first 10 seasons.
What does it all mean to Tomlin?
鈥淚t means I鈥檝e been here awhile,鈥� Tomlin said.
It meant a bit more to Ben Roethlisberger, who gave Tomlin a game ball.
鈥淚 gave him a game ball because there are a lot of coaches in this league that have coached this game and probably wish they had 100 wins,鈥� Roethlisberger said. 鈥淪o for him to get it, it鈥檚 awesome.鈥�
Game Ball II
Le鈥橵eon Bell gave credit, and a game ball, to fullback Rosie Nix for his part in Bell鈥檚 record-setting 236-yard rushing performance.
鈥淚 just kind of let Rosie do this thing in front of me,鈥� said Bell. 鈥淚 made sure I gave him that game ball because he deserved it. That touchdown was really him, him just leading out in front of me lead-blocking. He did a great job all day. I think this is probably his best game since I鈥檝e ever played with him, for sure. This is a great game for him. Fifty-one (Brandon Spikes) kind of called him out in warmups and Rosie took it, embraced it and brought it to the game. He was turned up.鈥�
Spikes鈥� old college teammate, Maurkice Pouncey, appreciated what Nix, and Chris Hubbard, an offensive tackle who was used frequently as a third tight end in the second half, brought to the huddle.
鈥淭hose guys bring in good energy,鈥� Pouncey said. 鈥淣ix is a litte bit more talkative than Hub, but we like him. He鈥檚 out there talking crap to the guy he鈥檚 blocking, 鈥楬ey, I鈥檓 running up on you. I鈥檓 blocking you.鈥� All that crazy stuff. It鈥檚 all a part of what makes football fun.鈥�
An O鈥橪ine Weekend
Alejandro Villanueva was not only part of a record-breaking win on Sunday, he watched his alma mater, Army, break a 14-game losing streak to Navy on Saturday.
鈥淪aturday was for the school and for all the effort and all the many coaches,鈥� Villanueva said. 鈥淓verybody was happy for the outcome for the Acadamy. Coach (Jeff) Monken has instilled a winning mentality in the team and as a graduate I鈥檓 very happy for them and I鈥檓 very happy for every single Army grad out there that was celebrating the game.鈥�
Was Villanueva on the edge of his seat during the 21-17 thriller?
鈥淚 was on the edge, yeah,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 ended up celebrating with Kevin Colbert downstairs. I wanted to see tears from the Naval Academy guys, and I saw some glossy eyes. But it鈥檚 a great rivalry. I鈥檓 very happy it鈥檚 getting attention and people are appreciating the game for what it is, the last sendoff for a bunch of football players who are about to go serve in the military.鈥�
Villanueva wouldn鈥檛 go so far as to call it one of his greatest weekends.
鈥淭he hype that I feel right now? We have to play the Cincinnati Bengals next,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey have one of the best front sevens in the NFL and we have to stay humble and we have to continue to work.鈥�
Deflated Feeling
Conflicting reports came out Sunday that the New York Giants did, and didn鈥檛, report the Steelers for using under-inflated footballs last Sunday at Heinz Field.
鈥淚 heard about it but we have absolutely no response,鈥� said Tomlin. 鈥淲e will cooperate fully with whatever New York wants to do in regards to that. We have absolutely nothing to hide. It鈥檚 a non-story for us.鈥�
鈥淲e use Nerf balls,鈥� was all Roethlisberger had to say about it.
Tackling Machine
Ryan Shazier won鈥檛 say he鈥檚 playing the best football of his life lately, only that 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 more consistent right now.鈥�
But Shazier was the leading tackler on a defense that held the NFL鈥檚 top rushing offense to 67 yards on 18 carries.
鈥淲e all understood they were the No. 1 rushing team,鈥� Shazier said. 鈥淐oaches definitely kept telling us that the whole week. It kind of put a chip on our shoulder.鈥�
Shazier made eight tackles with a sack, a tackle-for-loss and a deflected pass. He was the inside linebacker with the roar a week after his partner, Lawrence Timmons, made seven tackles against the Giants.
鈥淲e were in the game and he said 鈥業 don鈥檛 think I got a tackle. I gotta do something,'鈥� Shazier said. 鈥淏ut, hey, that鈥檚 what happens. Sometimes the boat floats your way and sometimes it floats the other way. Last week I had three and he had a bunch. At the end of the day, if we鈥檙e winning, I don鈥檛 think either one of us really cares.鈥�
鈥淏e selfish,鈥� said Timmons, whose only tackle was a third-quarter assist. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to be selfish when I get the chance, so they better get theirs.鈥�
Speed Kills
The Steelers allowed only 240 yards offense and have allowed the last four opponents an average of 257 yards per game.
鈥淵eah, we鈥檝e got a lot of fast guys on defense, man,鈥� said linebacker Bud Dupree. 鈥淪hay鈥檚 super fast. I take pride in my speed. Artie (Burns) is unbelievably fast. Cam (Heyward) is even fast when he was playing. Timmons is even fast for being old. Man, it鈥檚 coming together. It鈥檚 going to be great.鈥�
Dupree had his first career 2-sack game on a couple of hustle plays. He said he鈥檚 still not 鈥渂ending the edge鈥� or beating tackles with pass-rush moves because his groin still bothers him.
鈥淵eah, it鈥檚 still painful. But it鈥檚 a sharp pain. It goes right away,鈥� he said. 鈥淭omorrow I鈥檒l be sore.鈥�
Dupree endures extensive rehab, which is only natural after missing half the season with surgery to repair his sports hernia.
鈥淚鈥檓 making great progress,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 getting better each week. The more I can do each week, the more my groin loosens up, the more I can do. I鈥檓 just trying to keep going forward.鈥�
The Steelers had five sacks. Dupree and Shazier were joined in the column by Sean Davis (1.5) and Stephon Tuitt (0.5). The Steelers are proving to have speed at every level.
鈥淵eah, Artie, Sean. We鈥檝e got a lot of guys,鈥� said Timmons. 鈥淓ven (Javon) Hargrave. Before he got hurt he was balling out of control. All these guys, they鈥檙e coming in and stating their case. It鈥檚 beautiful.鈥�