Tomlin's Youth An Asset

He will be the youngest head coach in a Super Bowl.

Mike Tomlin leads a crop of young NFL coaches who have made an impact on the league. At 36, Tomlin is the youngest coach to lead his team to the Super Bowl, though his opponent, Ken Whisenhunt is no old curmudgeon at 46. The interesting thing about Tomlin's age is not just that he was able to accomplish so much at a young age -- thereby making everyone near his age feel inadequate -- but that he is younger than many of the athletes he coaches and prepares his team to line up against.

Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, at 38, was in his terrible twos by the time Tomlin was born. The Steelers' punter, Mitch Berger, is a year old than Tomlin, and DE Travis Kirschke is Tomlin's age, as is Orpheus Roye. Tomlin is also younger than the Vikings' Gus Frerotte, or the Ravens' Lorenzo Neal, who just turned 38.

Beyond football players, Tomlin is a young man in the world of pro sports. Pitcher Randy Johnson is now just as known for being old as he is for his fastball. Olympian Dara Torres won two silver medals at 41. UFC fighter Randy Couture, who just recently lost his title, is 45.

Seeing how many athletes older than him that are still in the game makes Tomlin even more impressive. He has a maturity that belies his age, and is a proud part of the Steelers' legacy of coaches. Cowher and Noll both proudly brought home Super Bowl titles. Tomlin's youth should not be an obstacle in his chance to bring another title back to the Pittsburgh.

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