Following retirement, Bill Cowher left Mike Tomlin more than a Super Bowl caliber team

There isn’t a handbook on how to coach the Pittsburgh Steelers. There wasn’t an opportunity to shadow or a training manual. A luxury some jobs offer, Bill Cowher wasn’t there to show Mike Tomlin the daily intricacies of his new position.

“I don’t think anyone can tell you specifically how to be a head coach,” Cowher wrote in his new book “Heart and Steel.” “Every dynamic is a little different. Everything is coming your way, and you have to catch it, quickly decide how to handle it, and keep moving.”

When Tomlin transitioned from defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings to head coach of the Steelers in 2007, it was any head coach’s dream gig. Stacked with talent, the team had just won a Super Bowl in 2006 and was on the brink of returning to greatness.

But it wasn’t just a Super Bowl-caliber team that Cowher bequeathed to Tomlin. He also left a can of Iron City beer in his office fridge. Apparently, the can remains unopened.

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