Coach Mike Tomlin: Steelers' News Conference

Live blogged comments:

From the horse's mouth, Coach Tomlin will retain Dick LeBeau as Steelers' defensive coordinator. Great news - probably won't mean a wholesale change of the Steelers' 3-4 base defense. Reading between the lines, it means that they'll have to build the personnel to switch to a "Tampa 2" 4-3. Best guess, Steelers take a quick DE with their 1st draft pick, looking to a 4-3 future.

Bravo! He's stressing that Coaches Dungy & Smith making it to the Super Bowl is significant because of the quality of the individuals, NOT because they just happen to be African-Americans.

UPDATE: other coaching positions will be settled "in the next few days".

UPDATE: he's talking about how he'll be involved in personnel decisions and basically saying what a great organization it will be to work in. Translation: "So long as I don't make a complete pig's breakfast of this job, it's my job until I don't want it any more!" ;-)

UPDATE: "as coaches, we have to be flexible schematically" - skirting around the 3-4 vs.4-3 issue. Can't argue with him though. Basic methodology is get good players, and game-plan for their strengths.

UPDATE: says he hasn't spoken to Russ Grimm, says he probably will. I really doubt that Coach Grimm will be back. Getting passed over is asking too much to have him stay on, even if hypothetically, he became the offensive coordinator.

Press conference ends at 15:57. Impressive. Said all the right things, must have used the term "blue collar" about a dozen times. As a Steelers' fan, I'm looking forward to seeing him prowl the sidelines for hopefully the next 15-20 years, and bring a couple more of those Lombardi Trophies back to Steel City.