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Craig Shemon & Company

Craig Shemon & Company

Craig Shemon & Company

Head Coach Mike Tomlin continues to be one of the Greatest

Author Craig Shemon
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers on the field before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field on September 26, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is one of the best coaches in all of sports, let alone the NFL.  Today is his birthday so we thought we’d talk about him.  He is the longest tenured coach in the NFL, a business in which most coaches don’t last very long.  He was once the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl.  And, in 17 straight seasons, he’s never had a losing record.  His resume is quite remarkable.  He achieved every benchmark while coaching in one of the toughest divisions, the AFC North.  He also achieved his career benchmarks with constant turnover.  After all, as he approaches two decades as a head coach, the average NFL playing career is about three years.  To maintain his excellent standard while continuously changing his roster is amazing.

HEAD COACH MIKE TOMLIN; LEADER OF MEN

Perhaps, head coach Mike Tomlin’s greatest attribute is he knows how to manage men.  Think about Antonio Brown’s career for a minute.  Brown’s greatest days were as a Steeler.  It was after his departure from Pittsburgh that we realized AB was a bit of a goofball.  And that’s not to say AB didn’t do stupid stuff as a Steeler because he did (like posting private locker room speeches on social media).  But Tomlin did a great job at keeping that kind of stuff under wraps so it would not be a distraction to the team.

Since today is Mike Tomlin’s birthday we thought we’d take a closer look at him with Trivia today on Craig Shemon and Company on ESPN Southwest Florida.  Good luck!

MIKE TOMLIN TRIVIA

  1. At age 36 Mike Tomlin became the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl.  That record was later broken by who?  Sean McVay
  2. Before Mike Tomlin became the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl, who had been the youngest? Jon Gruden
  3. Who did Mike Tomlin replace as head coach of the Steelers? Bill Cowher
  4. Only two coaches have had longer streaks of non-losing seasons than Mike Tomlin. Name them?  Tom Landry (21) and Bill Belichick (19)
  5. Mike Tomlin is the longest tenured coach in the NFL. Who’s second? Jon Harbaugh
  6. Mike Tomlin was the defensive coordinator for what NFC team before taking the Steelers job? Vikings
  7. What coach gave Mike Tomlin his first assistant coaching gig? Tony Dungy
  8. Who was Mike Tomlin’s head coach with the Vikings when he was the defensive coordinator? Brad Childress
  9. At William and Mary Tomlin was All-Yankee Conference at what position? Wide Receiver
  10. Can you name either of the Steelers coordinators? DC Teryl Austin; OC Arthur Smith

March Madness: These Teams Could Screw Up Your Bracket

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: March Madness. Seriously. Who doesn’t love this time of year? It’s always so exciting to see which teams make the NCAA Tourney and how the chips fall. Upsets are fun, too. Unless it’s your team getting upset, of course. This year, there are a handful of teams that could really screw up your bracket.

NCAA Tourney Fun

The teams going to the NCAA Tournament are starting to shape up. It’s cool to see some teams that haven’t been in March Madness for years getting the nod. For one, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies are in the tournament for the first time since 2011. The Rochester, Michigan, team beat No. 4 seeded Milwaukee earlier this week to win the Horizon League championship game and get to the big dance. It’s always so great to see the underdogs succeed.

As for other teams in the NCAA Tourney, most of the teams in the Top 25 in the national polls, if not all, are guaranteed a spot in the tournament, even if they don’t do well in their respective conference tournaments. Likewise, if a team has tanked all year but wins their respective conference tournament, then they’ll advance to March Madness. For some teams that have unfortunately had terrible seasons, this is their last hope. The Michigan Wolverines come to mind. They’ve had it rough this year, but if they win the Big Ten tournament, they’ll advance. Of course, nobody is likely to get past Purdue, so that’s another story.

We know which teams are super strong this year: Purdue, Houston and Connecticut. These guys aren’t going anywhere. But, there are some less assuming teams that could bust your bracket. So, as you’re carefully crafting your March Madness bracket this year, don’t forget about these underrated teams. Let’s get into a bunch right now.

Craig Shemon has been hosting afternoons on ESPN Southwest Florida since 2017. Prior to that he was a nationally syndicated host in Los Angeles at FOX Sports Radio and in Houston at Yahoo! Sports Radio. Along the way Craig did play-by-play for the NFL on FOX, NFL Europe, Big Ten Network, and The Citadel Radio Network. Craig is a native Detroiter and Indiana University graduate. He has been known to proudly display his Detroit and IU fandom on the air. Craig likes to write about athletes, create quizzes, and covers big sports headlines.

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