ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- At 37 years old, Mike Tomlin is the old man in his coaching matchup this week.
NFL teams probably didn't need more encouragement to hire young, energetic coaches, but both coaches in Monday's game prove that 30-somethings can run a team. Tomlin won a Super Bowl last year. Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels, at 33, has his team off to a 6-1 start.
"He's a great role model for all coaches in this league, young coaches and older coaches alike," McDaniels said of Tomlin. "His team is always well prepared, his team is always going to play with great emotion and energy. You never see them play with a lack of effort. That's a testament to what he does."
More than half of the 11 coaches hired in the offseason were younger than 45. Only one was older than 50. McDaniels has shown what a dose of youthful energy can bring to a team.
"When you're dealing with older coaches they're kind of set in their ways with a lot of things," said receiver Brandon Stokley, who is about two months younger than McDaniels. "The younger coaches provide that enthusiasm and fresh ideas."
Tomlin and McDaniels came into their jobs in similar situations. Tomlin took over for Bill Cowher, a Pittsburgh icon who had won a Super Bowl. McDaniels was hired to replace Mike Shanahan, a two-time Super Bowl champion.
"I wasn't concerned about that element of it, as I'm sure coach McDaniels wasn't concerned about it," Tomlin said. "The natural relationship between coaches and players is something that's understood in this game, in this business at this level. We desire to put them in the best position to excel, and I think they respect that."
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