Too late for Christmas and the playoffs, Mike Tomlin has a wish list for the 2008 season: Better play in the Steelers' offensive and defensive lines, and better coverage on kickoffs and punts.
That means more and younger players for those units, whether it's through the draft, free agency or some of his own players improving by next season.
And while his team won a division championship for the first time in three years and earned a home playoff game, Tomlin said he was not satisfied with his first season as a coach.
"I will always be disappointed when I don't win the World Championship," he said.
"I'm not big into moral victories. We did some good things. We won 10 games. We won our division. It starts there, but it wasn't as well as I would have liked. The goals I set for myself, I am not bashful about.
"One of the things that has bugged me the most since Saturday night are people with great intentions saying, 'Great start' and 'Great year.' ... I appreciate that, but there is something we are chasing here and we never will cease that chase."
Toward that end, the Steelers need players. Tomlin said each good special teams unit has four core players, such as Chidi Iwuoma and Sean Morey from Steelers past. Tomlin said this team had "not enough dynamic playmakers that you can build a core unit around," and that's one reason the kick and punt coverage teams played poorly.
"Our coverage unit is one glaring thing that has to improve," Tomlin said. "The protection of our quarterback has to improve. ... You always need big strong men in the interior on the rise."
The Steelers are getting old on their three-man defensive line, with two of three already in their 30s, plus the top backups.
"We're older in those positions," Tomlin said. "That will be our intentions, along with all areas of course. But in terms of having the personality that we want to have, there is no secret that we want to run the football and run it big time. We want to smash the run, so it starts inside and up front ...
"We could use young people, young developing people in a lot of areas. If I could identify anything at this point, I would say we need young big people."
Tomlin cited the inability of his No. 1-ranked defense to close out games at the end -- specifically, in regular-season games against Jacksonville, Denver and the New York Jets and their playoff against the Jaguars.
"We've got to be better in terms of rising up in moments late in football games. We got behind in some football games that we lost and fought our way back, but we weren't able to close the door in terms of energy, focus and ability to finish.
"When you look back at it, we have to execute better at crunch time. That's what great teams do. That's probably why we are not a great team at this point. We're a good team. That's what 10-6 teams are, what division champions are. We've got to be great."
He also cited their inability to run on offense when they had to, even though Willie Parker led the league in rushing after 14 games.
"We have to run the football more effectively and more often and later in football games," Tomlin said, "so we can wear people down and win games on our terms the way we like to."
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked 47 times the past season and 93 over the past two. Tomlin acknowledged that's unacceptable. Besides trying to improve a line that likely will lose guard Alan Faneca and perhaps No. 3 tackle Max Starks, they will need to infuse it with more talent.
"We have to play better," Tomlin said. "We have to get better technicians. We have to communicate better. We have to coach better."
The coaching staff will take a break next week, then hit the road for the Senior Bowl and begin preparations for the April draft, and possibly signing a few free agents starting in March.
"I am pleased with a lot of things," Tomlin said. "I am dissatisfied with some things. We are going to address those things."
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Originally Posted by Koopa
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