The Steelers issue their players standard uniforms, and not one of them has a trainee badge on it.
You get to the NFL, you go right into the fast lane.
Apparently this has been a problem for the Steelers, and could be one reason this team is a mere 4-4 in advance of this afternoon's home game against Dallas.
We've heard for years that the defense is complex, and rookies can't step in and do much immediately.
Last year, Mike Tomlin mentioned that receiver Sammie Coates was struggling with the level of conditioning required to play regularly in the NFL. In his second season, Coates is still learning on the job.
Now that opponents are throwing a coverage blanket over Antonio Brown, it's important that other receivers step up and make plays. As Tomlin noted, they didn't do that in last Sunday's loss in Baltimore.
The transition from college to pro football is obviously difficult. Yet the Cowboys come to town with a 7-1 record, built in part on the contributions of two rookies, quarterback Dak Prescott, and running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Prescott's passer rating is 104.2; Ben Roethlisberger's current mark is 93.9.
Elliott, Dallas' first-round draft pick, has 891 yards through half of the season and is averaging five yards per attempt.
Individual stats don't always mean a lot in football because success requires such a collaborative effort. Eight games is a fragmented sample size, too.
But the success Prescott and Elliott have had to this point indicates they aren't overwhelmed by the NFL and they're at least functioning competently in the Cowboys' systems.
Roethlisberger broke in with a bang in 2004, out of necessity. The Steelers had a sudden need at quarterback, and were able to adjust their offense so that Roethlisberger only needed to manage games.
Other rookies take their time. Cam Heyward, one of their best players on defense, needed a couple of seasons to get grounded. This year's No. 1 pick, Artie Burns, made his first start last week. It took that long because he couldn't break in to a secondary that's been a weak spot for several years.
Given the way a salary cap system leads to personnel turnover, time is a luxury the Steelers don't have. One organizational priority should be finding a way to get players assimilated to the demands of the NFL as quickly as possible.
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--LEFT OUT
Keep an eye on Brown today, as the Cowboys undoubtedly will.
If he doesn't get the ball, he won't be happy. For all his dancing skills, Brown isn't much of an actor and he isn't able to hide his disappointment and frustration when things aren't going his way.
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--MAC IS BACK
Lloyd McClendon is back with the Detroit Tigers as their hitting coach. He spent last season managing the Tigers' Class AAA team in Toledo.
McClendon would love another shot at managing, and Detroit might be the perfect spot since Brad Ausmus could be on a short leash.
One factor that could work against McClendon is his reluctance to embrace analytics. Baseball is increasingly looking for managers who are willing to take suggestions from the nerdy guys with the numbers.
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--SAY WHAT?
During halftime of last week's Steelers-Ravens game. Tony Gonzalez suggested on CBS the Steelers weren't running Le'Veon Bell enough.
Actually, one of the reasons they were failing was their insistence in having Bell slam into the line for little or no gain.
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--BOOK OF THE MONTH
Joe Buck has a new autobiography out.
If you can't stand him on TV, will you like him any better between hard covers for $38?
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