Steelers are now Tomlin’s team

He’s taken Pittsburgh to the AFC title game in only his second season.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The message is delivered differently, and with no spittle accompanying it. Mike Tomlin took over Bill Cowher’s team two years ago next week, yet he never promised to be just like Bill.

He hasn’t been, either, even if the results are strikingly similar. The Pittsburgh Steelers changed coaches for only the third time in 38 years when Tomlin replaced Cowher, but they didn’t change the way they do business.

As Tomlin related Tuesday, Steelers owner Dan Rooney wouldn’t stand for that. That’s why the franchise’s five Super Bowl trophies line a hallway linking the practice field to the coaches’ offices — not to intimidate, but to inspire.

“I love the high expectations that come with this job. I’d rather have high ones than low ones,” Tomlin said. “The tradition is awesome. You can’t put a price tag on it. It’s inspiring. ... Those who come before us set the standards for us. We understand that when we come into the building, when we take to the field, and we hope the way we go about our business honors those guys.”

Much like Cowher in 1992 and Chuck Noll in 1969, Tomlin wasn’t well known outside the NFL when the Steelers hired him. The job was expected to go to either offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt or assistant head coach Russ Grimm, but Tomlin beat them out in the interview process.

Tomlin made certain there was no time for the Rooneys to be second-guessed for choosing him, getting the Steelers off to a 9-3 start in 2007 before injuries wore them down. They were eliminated by Jacksonville in a wild-card playoff game.

Cowher’s record his first season: 11-5. Tomlin’s: 10-6. Cowher’s record his first two seasons, counting the playoffs: 20-14, with no playoff wins. Tomlin’s: 23-11, with one playoff win.

This season, the Steelers withstood a brutal schedule (the Giants, Colts, Chargers, Patriots, Cowboys, Ravens and Titans among their final 10 opponents), a slow-to-develop offensive line, numerous injuries and the free-agent departure of former All-Pro guard Alan Faneca to put together the franchise’s fourth 12-win season since 1979.

“I think we’re more comfortable [with Tomlin],” Hines Ward said. “He’s probably more comfortable with us.”

While Tomlin’s players occasionally offer insights into the way he coaches, Tomlin said he neither reads nor truly cares about what they say.

“I’m not interested in evaluating my performance and, particularly, I’m not interested in my players’ evaluation of my performance,” Tomlin said. “I’m paid to evaluate their performance.”

This is a big week for Tomlin, and not only because he has a chance to do something neither of his two immediate predecessors did by coaching the Steelers to the Super Bowl in only his second season. Noll got the Steelers there four times, winning each, but needed six seasons to reach his first. Cowher required four.

In a couple of weeks, Tomlin could reach the NFL’s ultimate peak, too, and at the age of 36. Currently, the youngest to win a Super Bowl was Tampa’s Jon Gruden at 39, with Tomlin as one of his assistants.

“We’re playing for hardware this week,” Tomlin said Tuesday.

The hardware handed out Feb. 1 — the Lombardi Trophy — is much-better known than the AFC trophy, and Tomlin now is among the four coaches who could win it.

“That’s what you play for, to win a championship,” he said.