Latrobe, Pa. ? In a Xerox football world where most head coaches come freshly copied from one of two schools of development – the Bill Walsh coaching tree or the Bill Parcells coaching tree – Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin is something of a new generation.

His great mentor is Indianapolis Colt Coach Tony Dungy, who hired him at age 28 after toiling at such non-football factories as Memphis and Cincinnati. But while Dungy technically falls under the heading of Walsh disciple, having played for Walsh and coached for Dennis Green, he is also his own man. For instance he is not beholden to the West Coast offense the way most Walsh devotees are.

When asked what he learned most from Dungy, Tomlin doesn’t hesitate.

“Every day – win, lose or draw – he kept it in perspective,” Tomlin said. “That’s a tough thing to do in this business, but he taught me this is what we do but not who we are. I use that on a daily basis and sell it to the guys. And it’s not just digging yourself out of a hole, it’s learning to deal with success. Keeping it in perspective. This can not define us, it’s simply what we do.”

But isn’t that hard in a sport where every play is dissected, where every decision is questioned in a week of talk radio shows and internet chats?

“Sure it’s hard,” Tomlin said with a dry laugh. “That’s why you have to work on it.”

He laughed again.

“Heck yeah it’s hard.”