Former Oilers and Falcons coach Jerry Glanville once famously told an official on the sideline during a game, "This is the NFL, which stands for not for long." Glanville was talking about a call he didn't particularly like. But his statement holds true for all positions, whether they be players, coaches or even officials.
And it might hold true for the Steelers' punter position.
Mike Tomlin acknowledged Tuesday there is, in fact, an open competition for the team's punting duties in 2018, with incumbent Jordan Berry being pushed by newcomer Matt Wile. It's a competition that could be decided in Thursday night's preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers at Heinz Field.
"I have to be open to all jobs being open. I wouldn't take Matt to camp if I didn't think he was a guy under consideration. That's certainly the case," Tomlin said when I asked Tuesday about the punting job.
According to sources, the Steelers didn't intend for this to be a competition, despite Tomlin's statement. But it has become one as the preseason has worn on because Wile has done well and Berry has had a couple of sub-par kicks.
As is often the case, the incumbent, in this case Berry, has a leg up. He's been with the team the past three seasons, building a strong relationship with placekicker Chris Boswell, something that's important since he also serves as the holder on field goals and extra points.
But he averaged just 43.2 yards per punt last season, which ranked 29th in the league. Berry did rank high in the number of punts he had fair caught (24) and was the only kicker in the top 10 in that statistic who had fewer than 70 attempts.
Berry has done the majority of the punting in the preseason but has been erratic, averaging 43.5 yards on 11 kicks. That is in line with his career average of 43.8 yards. He has placed three of his kicks inside the opposing 20 in the preseason, but also had punts of 29 and 30 yards in a 51-34 loss at Green Bay in Week 2.
That Green Bay performance might have opened the door for Wile, who has been with four other teams in the previous two seasons since leaving Michigan.
Wile appeared in four games in 2016, three with Arizona and one with Atlanta, posting a 46.1-yard average on 12 career punts. He signed with the Steelers at the end of January.
On his five punts in the preseason, he's averaged 48.4 with three downed inside the opposing 20. More impressively, his 48.0 net average is 13 yards better than that of Berry.
As an added bonus, Wile also can kick off and handle placekicking duties. The Steelers used him in that capacity against the Packers, when he made both of his PAT attempts and averaged 62.3 yards per kickoff, not far below the 64.2 average Boswell has posted in this preseason.
"It could be," Wile told me Tuesday when I asked him if his extra abilities might help be a determining factor. "But that's not something I have control over. In a game, if need be, I can kick off and do things like that."
It adds an interesting dynamic to the battle. But Wile has to knock out the defending champion and the holding duties also could be a key.
"They told me they were going to bring me in for punting and they were going to bring me in to try and compete," Wile told me. "That's what I've been doing. I've been pushing Jordan, and Jordan has been pushing me. I hope to be here for a long time."
• Tomlin also said Josh Dobbs will start at quarterback and Mason Rudolph also would play. He would make no guarantees about Landry Jones seeing time. Ben Roethlisberger will not play. Tomlin said he has not made a decision about other players but that a number of veterans would be held out.
When asked about the possibility of keeping all four quarterbacks, Tomlin said, "Could I? You're certainly capable of it. When you look at what happens in the National Football League, it's been done. But in today's NFL, two are probably kept more often than four. It's probably less frequent than two at this juncture."
• When asked about the quick turnaround on roster decisions that must be made following Thursday night's game -- all teams must trim their rosters to 53 players by 4 p.m. Saturday -- Tomlin said it comes with the job for he and GM Kevin Colbert: "Kevin and I aren't paid by the hour. We don't punch a timer. The key is to make good, prudent decisions for this organization and put the best collection of men together than can help us pursue the world championship this year. Sometimes that has occurred in a number of hours. Sometimes that has pushed into next week, up until the end of next week, in terms of acquiring players."