There are a few teams that are really bad and could go 4-12.
Everybody else is in that giant middle cluster, somewhere between 9-7 and 7-9, depending on variables like who gets hurt (or arrested), how the ball bounces and whether it snows in Philadelphia.
They call that parity, and it's been the league's goal forever. The draft and the salary cap help deter dynasties, and that's the way the NFL wants it. It's much better for business when everyone has some semblance of hope and the final weeks have enough wild card possibilities to keep the faithful hyperventilating.
Your 2014 Steelers are in that middle crowd, a team that could reach the playoffs, but probably won't. They're not good enough to be 12-4, and they're too good to be 4-12, so it will probably be like the last couple of seasons.
The issues now are mostly on defense. A lot of the old and slow has been flushed out over the past couple of seasons. They're younger and faster, but who knows if they understand where they're supposed to go.
In all the customarily tedious dispatches from training camp, there was one priceless nugget of information that emerged. Linebackers coach Keith Butler revealed there were times last year when No. 1 draft pick Jarvis Jones was yelling, "What do I do, what do I do?" before the ball was snapped.
He wasn't asking that in the existential sense, but rather trying to figure out exactly what his assignment was. If we know anything about the Steelers, it's that they run a complicated defense and players usually need a couple of seasons to understand it. Is it a coincidence that players like Cam Heyward and Jason Worilds didn't become contributors until they had years in the system?
Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said there was no effort to simplify the playbook, so it's going to be sink or swim for new players. History says there will be some rescues from the deep end.
The Steelers re-signed veteran Brett Keisel late in the preseason, a move that was widely hailed by sentimentalists and fans of prodigious facial hair. But from a more practical standpoint, it should probably be viewed as a red flag, an acknowledgment that help is needed on the defensive line. The team went into the offseason planning for life without Keisel, but now needs him as a failsafe.
Ike Taylor came back at a flea market price following a rocky season. LeBeau said Taylor was fighting injuries last season. We'll see. He will undoubtedly be targeted again by the divisional teams that burned him last season.
There's a lot of inexperience. First-rounder Ryan Shazier is being counted on to start and take on the challenge that baffled Jones last season.
Makes you wonder if "What do I do, what do I do?" might be a multi-voiced refrain this season, one that defines this defense more than "Renegade" does.
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--NO DEBATE
It seems like every Pirates game features at least one plate appearance where Ike Davis is called out on a third strike he doesn't like.
He disputes the call and walks away shaking his head. But he's out. Given that ball-strike calls are one of the few umpire decisions that can't be reviewed by replay, he'd probably be better served by swinging the bat.
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--MISSED OPPORTUNITY?
At last check, Gregory Polanco was hitting around .208 since he started his major league career with an 11-game hitting streak.
Wonder if he has any regrets about passing on that reported $75 million offer?
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--NO NEWS, BAD NEWS
If you've listened to 93.7 The Fan (KDKA-FM), you know the most useful part of the programming is the sports news updates that run three times an hour. This is especially the case when they're handled by Jeff Hathhorn and Eric Hagman.
The station has changed the format for the updates, needlessly sabotaging the station's most redeeming feature.
If they want to make the station better, encourage hosts to stay away from those discussions about what kind of potato chips they like best.
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--FACE THE NATION
It's been so long since Steelers fans have had to work up a real froth over the Browns. For that reason alone, you have to hope that Johnny Manziel gets in today's game.
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