Super Bowl 2011: How Mike Tomlin and Others Have Achieved NFL Coaching Greatness

Mike Tomlin has a chance to enter a very exclusive club on Sunday. Should the Steelers win the Super Bowl, he becomes one of the elite coaches to win multiple Super Bowls.

This is a club that includes Vince Lombardi, Chuck Knoll, Don Shula, Tom Landry, Joe Gibbs, Bill Belichick, Bill Walsh, Tom Flores, Jimmy Johnson, George Seifert and Mike Shanahan.

These coaches all are giants in their field, and they got there by making the right decisions, minimizing their own mistakes and taking advantages of other team's mistakes.

There's always a little luck involved, but if you build a team properly, you tend to make your own luck.

Here's a look at what makes these coaches successful.

10. Unified Approach

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Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher applauds a play against the Miami Dolphins during the NFL's 2006 opening game on September 7, 2006 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers won 28 - 17. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

To quote Godfather III, "All our ships must sail in the same direction."

Successful coaches have every player, assistant and front office employee on the same page. There is no question about how the team is going to get to the Super Bowl. The path is very clear, and all everyone has to do is their job.

The players play and the coaches coach.

And I apologize for quoting the worst of the three Godfather movies.

9. Don't Fix What Isn't Broke

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PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 23: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers holds up the Lamar Hunt trophy after the Steelers defeated the New York Jets 24 to 19 in the 2011 AFC Championship game at Heinz Field on January 23, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Penns

When Mike Tomlin came in, he took over for a coach who had become as popular and legendary to Steelers fans as Chuck Knoll.

The Steelers were one year removed from a Super Bowl and Tomlin could've made changes.

But he didn't.

After the Steelers won a Super Bowl under his watch, they missed the playoffs last year and Tomlin definitely had the clout at the time to make some big changes to mold the team more to his personal philosophies.

But he didn't.

Tomlin was smart enough to see that there was nothing about the way the Steelers did things that needed changed, and that change for changes' sake isn't always a smart thing.

Result?

The Steelers are in the Super Bowl again.

8. Respect

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FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 16: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots stands on the field during their 2011 AFC divisional playoff game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on January 16, 2011 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa

The players don't have to like you, but they have to respect you.

There isn't a player out there who doesn't respect Bill Belichick, but he really isn't that well-liked because of his abrasive personality. It's not that Belichick intentionally tries to be mean, it's just the way he is.

But his methods work, that's been proved over and over. When what you do works, players will respect your opinion and the path to victory becomes easier.

7. Be a Good Teacher

Vince Lombardi was seen as a teacher of the game.

No matter how long a player plays the game, there always is something to learn, and the coach who also is a good teacher will get the best out of his players every time.

And those coaches go to the playoffs more often than they miss it.

6. Promote a Winning Environment

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25 Nov 1999: Coach Jimmy Johnson of the Miami Dolphins talks to Emmitt Smith #22 of the Dallas Cowboys as he walks onto the field during the game at the Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. The Cowboys defeated the Dolphins 20-0.

A winning head coach gets his players to not only believe in his system, he has them believing they can win every week no matter who the opponent is.

A successful head coach promotes a culture of winning. Losing isn't part of a "process," or a "setback."

Losing is unacceptable, and that kind of attitude goes a long way during the game.

5. Make Good Decisions on the Field

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INDIANAPOLIS - JANUARY 02: Jeff Fisher the Head Coach of the Tennessee Titans watches play during NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 2, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Being a head coach in the NFL is a high-pressure job, especially during the 60 minutes the game is being played.

A good coach makes good decisions. You have to know when to run, when to pass and when to punt.

It's sounds very basic, but a coach who screws up those little things quickly finds themselves out of a job.

4. Make Good Decisions off the Field

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DAVIE, FL - JUNE 06: Executive Vice President of Football Operations Bill Parcells watches practice during Miami Dolphins Mini Camp on June 6, 2008 at the Dolphins practice facility in Davie, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

If a head coach doesn't make good decisions off the field about how to build the team, usually in conjunction with the front office, then it doesn't matter what happens during the game because the team probably was doomed before it left the locker room.

Bill Parcells was a master at crafting a team, and the Dolphins ignore him at their own peril.

3. Loyalty

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SAN FRANCISCO - JANUARY 10: Head coach Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys watches from the sideline during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on January 10, 1982 in San Francisco, California. Tom Landry coached the Cowboys from 1960

The players have to know you have their back. If the players think they'll get sold down the river at the first sign of trouble, the team quickly will crumble apart.

The NFL can be a hard business, but knowing when to stay loyal, especially through hard times, can be the deciding factor in a teams' success.

2. Have a Commitment to Winning

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SAN FRANCISCO - AUGUST 10: Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana pauses during a public memorial service for former 49ers coach Bill Walsh August 10, 2007 at Monster Park in San Francisco, California. NFL Hall of Famer Bill Walsh, who was kn

A coach has to be committed to winning. That's not as dumb of a statement as it may sound.

There are some coaches who come into an organization that needs rebuilding and take the situation as it is. They set very low goals and don't expect much from the team that year.

Not surprisingly, that team loses a lot.

The problem is, those teams will continue to lose year after year because those coaches didn't set a commitment to win from Day One. If you don't expect to win, then you won't.

1. Get Results

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MIAMI GARDENS, FL - JANUARY 31: Former Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula speaks to a crowd during a cermony prior to the start of the 2010 Pro Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. A statue was erected for Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history on January 31,

A coach can be a good teacher, be loyal to his teammates and put together a great atmosphere and culture in the locker room at the beginning of the season. However, those do not mean anything if you can't win games.

The NFL is a results-oriented business, and at the end of the day the coach has to win. The ability to close the deal is what separates a coach like Don Shula and Bill Walsh from a Marty Schottenheimer and  a Marv Levy.

Both Schottenheimer and Levy were good coaches who put together great teams, but they always fell short in the end for one reason or another, and they never can get to the level the other coaches reached.

You get to that level by winning Super Bowls.

Good luck to both coaches this weekend.