We know that because it's not the Steelers way.
But is that still true?
Just because the person in charge is named Rooney doesn't mean that things are done the same way.
Current team president Art Rooney II shares his father's placid mien, but he's not necessarily the same guy.
Considerable circumstantial evidence points to Art Rooney II as the person behind the ouster of offensive coordinator Bruce Arians following the 2011 season.
You can argue that Dan Rooney once ordered Chuck Noll to fire several assistants, but that came after a 5-11 season in 1988, the Steelers' third losing season in four years. It was clear by then that the franchise had made the sad, slow slide into mediocrity.
Arians was banished after the Steelers finished 12-4 for the second consecutive year. Given that, and Art Rooney II's suggestions for changes in offensive philosophy, it's logical to conclude that he's more hands-on than his father was.
(Former GM Tom Donahoe was fired, but that was after his relationship with Bill Cowher had deteriorated to the point that one of them had to go).
If the Steelers have a losing season, veterans like Ryan Clark and Brett Keisel are likely gone. Troy Polamalu's future would be in doubt, too. Potentially they could have three more starters to replace on defense, something that a single draft wouldn't accomplish.
The Steelers could have a $102 million quarterback and not much else. It could be a full-scale rebuilding.
In that case, the question would be whether Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert are the people to trust with that project.
Are the Steelers inevitable victims of a salary cap system? Or have they blundered their way into this spot?
If the losing continues, those are the tough questions that ownership has to confront.
There's no guarantee the patience that characterized the organization in the past will continue.
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--Getting acquainted
KDKA-TV had a genuinely odd feature on Penguins rookie Olli Maatta last week.
Jory Rand interviewed the 19-year-old defenseman as the two toured the city. Their walk-and-talk included coffee in Market Square, then shifted to an observation deck on Mt. Washington. You were waiting for them to ride a tandem bicycle through Schenley Park.
It looked like something that been brokered by eHarmony.com rather than a hockey team's PR department.
It wasn't bad. Just peculiar.
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--They're No. 1
These are happy days at 93.7 The Fan (KDKA-FM), which topped the local radio ratings for October.
This surge was influenced primarily by the Pirates' first postseason games since 1992.
The Fan not only has a large audience at the moment, it also hits the demographics advertisers want. Programming remains spotty. After nearly four years in the format, there still isn't a signature destination show.
But they're printing money. Clear Channel, the other big radio operator in town, should be getting itchy to grab some of that action by starting an FM sports station of its own. Clear Channel to this point has spread its sports content over WDVE, WXDX and ESPN 970 AM, which has as many listeners as the police scanner.
Clear Channel's inaction is allowing CBS-owned The Fan to feast on the whole pie.
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