Vikes might be losing defensive Coord. (Mike Tomlin)

[Outdoors Junkie]

Tomlin is a finalist for two head coaching jobs.  Check out the article below.


The Miami Dolphins have reached an agreement with defensive coordinator Dom Capers on a deal that will make him the highest-paid assistant coach in the NFL.

Capers' new deal is for three years and an estimated $8.1 million, team sources confirmed. His salary in 2007 will be $2.6 million, equal to that of Washington Redskins assistant head coach/defense Gregg Williams, but Capers will get raises of at least $100,000 per year in 2008 and 2009.

Capers' current deal was set to expire on Sunday; he would have been able to talk with other teams, but he would not have been able to sign with another team until Feb. 1.

Also, New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has emerged as a finalist in the Dolphins' search for a head coach, sources confirmed.

Schottenheimer will have a second interview with the Dolphins on Tuesday, one day after Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin gets his second interview as a finalist.

The Dolphins have pared their list from 12 candidates to four or five.

Schottenhenheimer just finished his first season as a coordinator. The 33-year-old son of San Diego Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer is the youngest coordinator in the NFL. Brian Schottenheimer was the quarterbacks coach in San Diego prior to joining Jets coach Eric Mangini's staff this past season.

Tomlin, who will turn 35 in March, also just completed his first season, as a defensive coordinator. Tomlin is a finalist for the Pittsburgh Steelers vacant head coaching position, too.

Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey and San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron also are believed to be finalists for the Dolphins' job.

[Ryan]

I'd say there is a 99.9% chance that he will be back with us next year.  He might be a good coach and could be head coach one day, but I don't think he is old enough or ready to be a head coach yet.  You could say the second thing about our current head coach though.

[Spinach]

This would be a huge disappointment to the Vikings, abviously he did a tremendous job in his first year.

I'm betting he gets the Miami job. After what Mangini did with the Jets this year, I don't think age will be much of an issue any longer.

[Outdoors Junkie]

He is leaving for Pittsburgh.


Steelers hire Tomlin; LeBeau to stay D-coordinator


PITTSBURGH-- Mike Tomlin, the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator, was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers -- the first black head coach in the team's 74-year history.

Mike Tomlin: Coaching Highlights

NFL:
• 2006: Defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings.
• 2001-2005: Defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

NCAA:
• 1999-2000: Defensive backs coach at Cincinnati.

• 1998: Defensive backs coach at Arkansas State.

• 1997: Wide receivers coach at Arkansas State.

• 1996: Graduate assistant at Memphis.

• 1995: Wide receivers coach at Virginia Military Institute.
 

He accepted the job Sunday night and the hiring was announced Monday, with Tomlin expected to make about $2.5 million a year under a four-year contract. He is the Steelers' third coach in 38 years, following Chuck Noll (23 seasons) and Bill Cowher (15 seasons).

Tomlin, an NFL coordinator for only one season, acknowledged it was difficult not to be overwhelmed with the opportunity to coach what he called "one of the storied franchises in sports."

"I'm still coming to grips with what that means," said Tomlin, who, like Cowher in 1992, will be about the same age as some of his players. "But I am what I am as coach -- I don't call myself a 34-year-old coach or an experienced coach, I'm a football coach."

Tomlin was chosen by the Steelers on the same day two black coaches made the Super Bowl for the first time: Lovie Smith in Chicago and Tony Dungy in Indianapolis. Tomlin was once an assistant under Dungy at Tampa Bay, and he got the call from Steelers president Art Rooney II while watching the NFL conference championship games Sunday.

"He's a good coach, a great communicator and now he'll have a chance to show what he can do," Dungy said Monday.

Tomlin also might have benefited from the NFL's so-called Rooney Rule. Steelers owner Dan Rooney successfully lobbied in 2002 for a rule that requires all NFL teams to interview minority candidates for coaching jobs.

After a successful first season as Minnesota's defensive coordinator, Tomlin's name was one of about a dozen on a list of qualified minority candidates given to Rooney at a mid-December meeting in New York. Rooney is the chairman of the NFL's committee on workplace diversity.

Here is the whole article... http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2738834

[Ryan]

I guess the .01% chance happened.  Given his age and the fact that they had two coaches that seemed to be the favorites, I am shocked that this happened.  I am kind of tired of the black coach thing though.  They are all just football coaches no matter what color they are and I'm sure they hired who they thought was the best candidate.

[Realtree]

Just when we started to have a real defense that could stop the run. I hope they can still keep some of the run stopping consistency they had last year and continue to improve on the pass D which was not stellar to say the least last year. Go Vikes.