TOMLIN WINS MOTOROLA COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who navigated his team through a crippling schedule to a 12-4 record an a berth in the Super Bowl, received not a single vote for the Associated Press coach of the year award. But Tomlin has been named the 2008 Motorola Coach of the Year. More than 521,000 fans voted for Tomlin on NFL.com from January 7 through 21. And so, unlike the AP system influenced exclusively by regular-season performance, Tomlin’s candidacy undoubtedly was buoyed by the team’s playoff run. The other finalists were Tom Coughlin of the Giants, Jeff Fisher of the Titans, John Harbaugh of the Ravens, Mike Smith of the Falcons, and Tony Sparano of the Dolphins. Smith and Sparano received most of the votes for the AP version of the award, with Bill Belichick of the Patriots and Jeff Fisher of the Titans receiving one vote each.