Mark Craig: Steelers looking awfully smart now

Overshadowed in the 3-0 starts by New England and Indianapolis is the fact that everything -- absolutely everything -- is going right in Pittsburgh for new Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

With a punishing 3-4 defense, a throwback running attack and an exciting new special teams threat in Allen Rossum, Tomlin is on the verge of becoming the first coach in the 75-year history of the Steelers to win his first four games. Bill Cowher was the only other one to start 3-0 (1992).

The Steelers won the Super Bowl two seasons ago, but went 8-8 last season. They didn't win their third game until the ninth week of the season, but are obviously re-energized under Tomlin, the Vikings' defensive coordinator last season.

"Coach Tomlin is a great coach," said Steelers rookie tight end and former Gopher Matt Spaeth. "Guys really want to play well for him."

Not only have the Steelers won three consecutive games, they've won by 27 at Cleveland (34-7) the week before the Browns scored 51 points in beating Cincinnati; 23 against Buffalo (26-3); and 21 against San Francisco (37-16), which was 2-0.

"We talk a lot about it's not the destination, it's the journey," Tomlin told reporters after the 49ers game. "This team is doing a nice job of living in the present. When you do that and you prepare and you have good men, you have the ability to step into stadiums and do what they did today. If we continue to do that, we'll continue to grow, because we are still growing."

Tomlin has a knack for saying the right thing in the right way at the right time. Even his clichés don't sound old and tired, whether you're a cynical reporter or one of Tomlin's 53 players.

Tomlin also had the self-confidence to agree to keep eight of Cowher's 15 assistants. That includes Bruce Arians, who was elevated to offensive coordinator from receivers coach; and longtime defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, the father of the Steelers' 3-4 zone blitz, which is a much different defensive philosophy than the Tampa-2 that Tomlin learned from Tony Dungy.

All of Tomlin's many strengths already are paying off at the young age of 35. In fact, Vikings coach Brad Childress, Tomlin's old boss, could use some of Tomlin's magic touch right about now.

The Vikings went into Sunday's game at Kansas City wanting to get the tight ends more involved in the offense. Vinsanthe Shiancoe responded with three catches for 51 yards. That's a wonderful 17-yard average, but it's the ball Shiancoe apparently didn't catch that helped lose the game 13-10. In a play the Vikings challenged and lost, game officials ruled that a wide-open Shiancoe dropped an inaccurate halfback option pass from Mewelde Moore in the end zone.

Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, the Steelers continued to use their tight ends more efficiently than any other team in the league. With 49ers cornerbacks Nate Clements and Walt Harris taking away the receivers, the Steelers turned to tight ends Heath Miller (four catches, 82 yards, 0 TDs) and Jerame Tuman (one catch, 9 yards, one TD).

Spaeth, a third-round draft pick, was inactive because of a bruised thigh. But in the first two games, he caught three passes for 15 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, Pittsburgh has three tight ends who have a combined 14 catches and five touchdowns.

"Our running game is so dominant that everything else just opens up," said Spaeth, referring to a No. 2-ranked rushing attack that already has topped 200 yards twice this season. "On my second touchdown, it was just a play-action bootleg near the goal line. It was an easy play and catch."

Tomlin has a huge game personally this week at Arizona (1-2). New Cardinals new coach Ken Whisenhunt was considered by many people, including some players in Pittsburgh, to be Cowher's heir apparent. But Steelers owner Dan Rooney pulled the most surprising coaching move of the offseason instead.

It might also prove to be the smartest. After all, the last time the Steelers started 4-0 was 1979, which was the last of Hall of Famer Chuck Noll's four Super Bowl championship seasons.

Mark Craig • mcraig@startribune.com