RHoffman
DOB: Get my Ring!
...
A couple of years back I interviewed Mike Tomlin for the William & Mary alumni magazine. It's mostly a typical alumni piece, but I thought you might find some of it interesting (his theory of fundamentalists and schemers. The interview was a lot longer than my article, so I'll listen to the audio tape to see if anything else stood out. I do remember that when I did this interview he had just interviewed for the defensive coordinator job in Miami and didn't get it because Saban was a scheme guy and he was a fundamentalist.
Below is a copy of the article...I tried to attach a link to the PDF format, but I couldn't due to size restrictions.
ALUMNI MAGAZINE FALL 2005 105
[ALUMNEWS]
A Star on the Rise: Mike Tomlin ’95
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Mike Tomlin ’95 (right) coaches Blue Adams, a cornerback for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
There certainly have been a number of great football
coaches to pass through Williamsburg. Marv Levy,
Lou Holtz, Bobby Ross and Jimmye Lay**** ’70
immediately come to mind.A new name is being added to
the list. Former William and Mary wide receiver Mike Tomlin
’95, who is now the defensive backs coach for the NFL’s
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is quickly earning a reputation as
one of the brightest young minds in football.
In just four years,Tomlin has already worked with and
molded star players such as all-pros John Lynch, Ronde
Barber and Donnie Abraham, Super Bowl MVP Dexter
Jackson and rising stars Dwight Smith and Brian Kelly.
Last season, the Buccaneers were the NFL’s top-ranked
defense against the pass, giving up just 161.3 yards per
game through the air.
This past offseason,Tomlin was interviewed for the
defensive coordinator position of the Miami Dolphins.Tomlin
did not get the position (which would have made him
the youngest coordinator in the league by several years),
but you get the feeling it’s only a matter of time for the
Newport News,Va., native, who is just 33 years old.
Tomlin’s William and Mary playing days foreshadowed his
football excellence. He currently ranks ninth on the Tribe’s
all-time receiving list with 2,054 yards.Tomlin also holds the
school record for most yards per catch in a career (20.1) and
in a season (25.1 in 1992). If Tomlin didn’t have to split time
with another standout top-10 receiver,Terry Hammons ’96,
his numbers certainly would have been even higher.
When an NFL playing career did not materialize after
graduation,Tomlin was prepared for his new career choice,
thanks to the guidance of a certain head coach.“Coach
Lay**** was instrumental in my development as a player
and my approach to the game,†says Tomlin.“But he also
gave me some direction in terms of what I wanted to do
when my playing days were over. I knew that I wanted to
coach football from being around him and his staff.â€Â
Tomlin’s time spent off the football field in Williamsburg
has also served him well.“Every day was a new experience,â€Â
he says.“They always talk about how the struggles
that come along with being part of the academic elite will
carry you in normal society. It really did. Sometimes I
would get in an academic rut and feel that things were piling
up on me. I would always take that walk on Old Campus
by the Sunken Garden and rejuvenate myself.â€Â
After coaching stops at Virginia Military Institute, University
of Tennessee-Memphis, University of Tennessee-
Martin, Arkansas State University and the University of
Cincinnati,Tomlin received a fateful call from then Tampa
Bay Head Coach Tony Dungy, who is now coaching the
Indianapolis Colts.
“Initially, I thought it was a joke,†says Tomlin.“I was
probably talking for close to a minute before I realized it
was really him.â€ÂTomlin quickly accepted Dungy’s offer to
coach the Buccaneers’ defensive backs.
His uncomplicated style has been a hallmark of his
tenure with the Buccaneers. “I would consider myself a
fundamentalist,†says Tomlin.“There are probably two
basic coaching philosophies. There are schemers and fundamentalists.
Schemers don’t worry about some of the
details and potential mistakes they might make because
they figure the schemes and different looks will confuse
the offenses. Fundamentalists worry about themselves
first and their ability to execute the calls they are running.â€Â
Tomlin has agreed to return to Tampa Bay this year.
Beyond this season, he would like to stay in the pro ranks.
“I really enjoy the National Football League,†he says. “It’s
awesome. If you are going to be a competitor, you always
want to vie for the greatest prize.â€Â
Not that a return to Williamsburg one day doesn’t pique
his interest; Tomlin just doesn’t think it’s likely.“Coach Lay****
is going to be at William and Mary forever,†he laughs.
“When I got into coaching, that was my dream. I didn’t
dream about coaching in the NFL to be hest with you. I
wanted to be the head coach of William and Mary. I used to
tell Lay**** that and he used to laugh. That place is so
special that anybody who has come through can’t help but
think about coaching there from time to time.â€Â
 Robert Hoffman
Robert Hoffman is a freelance journalist from Warminster, Pa.
A couple of years back I interviewed Mike Tomlin for the William & Mary alumni magazine. It's mostly a typical alumni piece, but I thought you might find some of it interesting (his theory of fundamentalists and schemers. The interview was a lot longer than my article, so I'll listen to the audio tape to see if anything else stood out. I do remember that when I did this interview he had just interviewed for the defensive coordinator job in Miami and didn't get it because Saban was a scheme guy and he was a fundamentalist.
Below is a copy of the article...I tried to attach a link to the PDF format, but I couldn't due to size restrictions.
ALUMNI MAGAZINE FALL 2005 105
[ALUMNEWS]
A Star on the Rise: Mike Tomlin ’95
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Mike Tomlin ’95 (right) coaches Blue Adams, a cornerback for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
There certainly have been a number of great football
coaches to pass through Williamsburg. Marv Levy,
Lou Holtz, Bobby Ross and Jimmye Lay**** ’70
immediately come to mind.A new name is being added to
the list. Former William and Mary wide receiver Mike Tomlin
’95, who is now the defensive backs coach for the NFL’s
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is quickly earning a reputation as
one of the brightest young minds in football.
In just four years,Tomlin has already worked with and
molded star players such as all-pros John Lynch, Ronde
Barber and Donnie Abraham, Super Bowl MVP Dexter
Jackson and rising stars Dwight Smith and Brian Kelly.
Last season, the Buccaneers were the NFL’s top-ranked
defense against the pass, giving up just 161.3 yards per
game through the air.
This past offseason,Tomlin was interviewed for the
defensive coordinator position of the Miami Dolphins.Tomlin
did not get the position (which would have made him
the youngest coordinator in the league by several years),
but you get the feeling it’s only a matter of time for the
Newport News,Va., native, who is just 33 years old.
Tomlin’s William and Mary playing days foreshadowed his
football excellence. He currently ranks ninth on the Tribe’s
all-time receiving list with 2,054 yards.Tomlin also holds the
school record for most yards per catch in a career (20.1) and
in a season (25.1 in 1992). If Tomlin didn’t have to split time
with another standout top-10 receiver,Terry Hammons ’96,
his numbers certainly would have been even higher.
When an NFL playing career did not materialize after
graduation,Tomlin was prepared for his new career choice,
thanks to the guidance of a certain head coach.“Coach
Lay**** was instrumental in my development as a player
and my approach to the game,†says Tomlin.“But he also
gave me some direction in terms of what I wanted to do
when my playing days were over. I knew that I wanted to
coach football from being around him and his staff.â€Â
Tomlin’s time spent off the football field in Williamsburg
has also served him well.“Every day was a new experience,â€Â
he says.“They always talk about how the struggles
that come along with being part of the academic elite will
carry you in normal society. It really did. Sometimes I
would get in an academic rut and feel that things were piling
up on me. I would always take that walk on Old Campus
by the Sunken Garden and rejuvenate myself.â€Â
After coaching stops at Virginia Military Institute, University
of Tennessee-Memphis, University of Tennessee-
Martin, Arkansas State University and the University of
Cincinnati,Tomlin received a fateful call from then Tampa
Bay Head Coach Tony Dungy, who is now coaching the
Indianapolis Colts.
“Initially, I thought it was a joke,†says Tomlin.“I was
probably talking for close to a minute before I realized it
was really him.â€ÂTomlin quickly accepted Dungy’s offer to
coach the Buccaneers’ defensive backs.
His uncomplicated style has been a hallmark of his
tenure with the Buccaneers. “I would consider myself a
fundamentalist,†says Tomlin.“There are probably two
basic coaching philosophies. There are schemers and fundamentalists.
Schemers don’t worry about some of the
details and potential mistakes they might make because
they figure the schemes and different looks will confuse
the offenses. Fundamentalists worry about themselves
first and their ability to execute the calls they are running.â€Â
Tomlin has agreed to return to Tampa Bay this year.
Beyond this season, he would like to stay in the pro ranks.
“I really enjoy the National Football League,†he says. “It’s
awesome. If you are going to be a competitor, you always
want to vie for the greatest prize.â€Â
Not that a return to Williamsburg one day doesn’t pique
his interest; Tomlin just doesn’t think it’s likely.“Coach Lay****
is going to be at William and Mary forever,†he laughs.
“When I got into coaching, that was my dream. I didn’t
dream about coaching in the NFL to be hest with you. I
wanted to be the head coach of William and Mary. I used to
tell Lay**** that and he used to laugh. That place is so
special that anybody who has come through can’t help but
think about coaching there from time to time.â€Â
 Robert Hoffman
Robert Hoffman is a freelance journalist from Warminster, Pa.
