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With the Pittsburgh Steelers experiencing so much success last season, the coaching staffed seem to often get overlooked. Now, it is time to give credit where credit is due.
The most recognizable person on the coaching staff is Head Coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin, a graduate of William and Mary University, was hired as the Steelers head coach at the young age of 34. Tomlin is only the third Steelers head coach to be hired since 1969.
With the loss of Bill Cowher, many Steelers fans questioned whether the team could maintain it's high level of play with a new coach. Mike Tomlin answered those questions immediately.
Tomlin guided the Steelers to an AFC North title with a 10-6 record, and a playoff berth in his first season.
He followed that with a 12-4 record and a Super Bowl Championship in only his second season as head coach.
Almost immediately after being hired, Mike Tomlin made an impact on the defense. Although, the Steelers defense can be dominate at times, they were known to have a weakness in pass defense.
That all changed with the hiring of coach Tomlin. In his first season, the Steelers went from No. 20 in pass defense the previous season under coach Cowher, to No. 3 in pass defense after coach Tomlin's first season.
They even improved on that in Tomlin's second season, finishing the 2008 season ranked No. 1 in pass defense, only giving up an astonishing 156.9 yards a game.
Coach Tomlin also had an impact in the Steelers overall defense, where they finished ranked first in total defense in each of his first two seasons as Steelers coach.
It is no coincidence that the Steelers defense improved tremendously under coach Tomlin. Before being hired as Steelers head coach, he was the Defensive Coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings.
Prior to that, Tomlin spent five seasons as a defensive backs coach in Tampa Bay, which helps explain how the Steelers were able to improve so much in pass defense.
He has helped Ike Taylor turn the corner as a DB, and after being benched by Bill Cowher previously, Taylor is now playing at a Pro-Bowl caliber level.
Another coach who deserves credit for the Steelers recent success is future hall of famer, defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.
At age 71, and still going strong, LeBeau is best know for inventing the zone blitz during the late 1980s while he was a coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals.
LeBeau has spent 50 years in the NFL as a player and a coach. He was born on September 9, 1937 in London, Ohio.
He also played college football in Ohio at Ohio State University for legendary coach, Woody Hayes.
LeBeau spent his entire NFL career with the Detroit Lions as a defensive back. He finished his career with 62 interceptions for 762 return yards and 3 touchdowns.
He also holds the NFL record for most consecutive games played by a cornerback with 171.
Dick LeBeau is considered by many to be the best defensive coordinator to ever coach the game, and ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski was quoted as saying that Dick LeBeau is "arguably the best ever to coach defense".
Although Mike Tomlin is credited with much of the Steelers recent success. None of it would be possible without Dick LeBeau as his defensive coordinator.
LeBeau's zone blitz has confused many teams around the league for years because they never know where the blitz is coming from or who is blitzing.
Ever the mastermind, LeBeau is always coming up with new blitzes and schemes all of the time. Steelers inside middle linebacker has said that LeBeau has already came up with 11 new schemes so far in the offseason.
Dick LeBeau is the main reason that the Steelers defense is so fun to watch for Steelers fans, and so annoying to execute against for opposing teams.
Not to be forgotten, is offensive coordinator Bruce Ariens. He has only been the team's offensive coordinator for years, but in his first season as offensive coordinator, Ben Roethlisberger had the best season of his young career with 32 touchdowns passing, and 3,154 yards passing.
Ariens has over 31 years of coaching experience, and has spent 15 years coaching in the NFL.
Quarterbacks coach Ken Anderson is another person who came in with the Mike Tomlin regime. Anderson also has a ton of NFL experience, playing 16 seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals, and spending 10 more seasons there as an assistant coach.
Ken Anderson, like Bruce Ariens, has also been credited with the recent success of Ben Roethlisberger.
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