Altoona Mirror, January 24, 2016

His legion of detractors won't want to hear it, but Mike Tomlin was spot on the other day when he projected a bright future for the Steelers.
Given the talent on hand and the place most key players are in their career arc, the Steelers should be poised for Super Bowl runs in the next few seasons.
The offense is good enough to win a championship. The defense still needs repairs, but it took some strides this season.
If the Steelers can fix their secondary, they can play deep into January a year from now.
Make an effort to keep William Gay, find corners who can cover in the draft and/or free agency (easier said than done, of course) and the Steelers are a 2016 contender.
Let's understand one thing: This all hinges on Ben Roethlisberger's availability. Teams don't win without a dynamic quarterback, as the Steelers should have learned in the long drought between Terry Bradshaw and Roethlisberger.
No position is as important, which is why the Steelers had no problem giving Roethlisberger a contract worth more than $100 million last offseason.
But just as Bradshaw's career ended abruptly by an elbow injury at age 35, every quarterback is vulnerable. "Next man up" is usually a frightening proposition at quarterback, as we saw last season with Michael Vick.
There's a lot of work to be done in the next several months, and much of it is intertwined. Can the Steelers convince some players to take cuts to stay (Heath Miller? Lawrence Timmons?) Will they let others go to clear cap space (Shaun Suisham? Ramon Foster?)
Can existing contracts be reworked to allow the signing of upgrade players? Who is available in the draft from the 25th spot?
Play it right this offseason, and the Steelers will set themselves up for the postseason.
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--CHANGE COMING
Brace yourself, purists, but the designated hitter is coming to the National League. That's sooner rather than later, too.
MLB has eliminated nearly all the separation between the leagues over the last decade or so. League offices were closed, league presidents eliminated. Umpiring was placed under one central office.
The biggest development: Interleague play was adopted and has now become a constant proposition. It's awkward to play games under separate rules, especially when American League teams have to park a big-salaried slugger on the bench to play in a National League park.
The union wants the change. DHs make a lot more than the last guy in the bullpen. MLB wants it. Every rules change is designed to get more offense in the game. TV partners want it for the same reason. Offense sells.
Managing will become easier in the National League. Roster composition will change. It will be a different game.
But the change is inevitable, and online petitions aren't going to make a difference.
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--GOOD TIMING
If Vontaze Burfict's three-game suspension holds up, want to bet the NFL schedules one of the Steelers-Bengals at the start of the season?
Why not avoid a headache if it's possible to do so?
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--CONSTANT PRESENCE
If Charlie Batch gets just a dollar every time his health care commercials run on TV, he's making more than he ever did in the NFL.
He's become as ubiquitous as Neil Walker was on TV all summer.