TAMPA, Fla. -- Purely for the purpose of being morose this morning, let's just suppose the Steelers lose here tonight.
I know, I know. But hear me out.
Suppose that Mike Tomlin and the Steelers lose -- and that, of course, is now the precise order in which those entities lose in the public eye -- and they've dug an 0-2-1 hole that has them looking up at almost all of the NFL, including the Browns. This despite entering the season with a theoretical wealth of offensive talent and maybe, just maybe, a generational window of opportunity.
It'd be kind of tough to take, huh?
The calls for the head coach to get fired will reach a crescendo, unlike any even following the playoff failures against the Patriots or Jaguars. That's obvious. There also will be greater scrutiny of Kevin Colbert's recent work, from never attempting to replace Ryan Shazier to recent first-round draft picks who haven't shown well at all. There will be greater pushback against the players themselves, as well, particularly those who have behaved like idiots and have damaged the once-untouchable brand.
But I think this one will go further. I think it'll start climbing all the way to the top, to Art Rooney II.
Notice that the franchise owner and hands-on team president seldom gets cited in these contexts. I'm guessing that's partly for the iconic family name but also partly, to be fair, that he, too, has long presided over a winner.
But there comes a point where no one's immune. If the players aren't getting it done, they can only be replaced so often. If the assistant coaches and coordinators aren't getting it done, they can only be replaced so often. But with this team, more than any other in professional sports, if the head coach and GM are getting ... good results but not at a championship level ... they still can never, ever, ever be replaced because That Just Isn't How The Steelers Do Things You Dummy.
And when that advances from simmer to boil, I dare say, that aforementioned public eye will only turn higher.
Heck, maybe it's for the best.
One foundational strength of a franchise that sets the bar where the the Steelers have for a half-century is that the public's expectations are right where they're supposed to be at all times: They want a Super Bowl. That can occasionally feel like a cross to bear for those involved, I'm sure, but it's also healthy. It never allows anyone to settle.
Ultimately, though, that tone is set at the top. And when Rooney's legitimately disliked something he's overseen -- Ben Roethlisberger getting hurt too often, Bruce Arians at offensive coordinator, etc. -- he's been patient and prudent, but he's also taken action. When it's something that's demanded not just his attention but his authority, he's taken action.
I'll shut up now with this: Better win this one, gentlemen.
• I'm on record as doubting they will, by the way. Too much has to go too right defensively for a defense that isn't trending that way and, conversely, too much has to go too wrong offensively for the Buccaneers after they've been the NFL's best to this stage.
And yet, I sure as heck hadn't envisioned the Bills blowing out anyone on the road, the Patriots losing in Detroit, and the Browns winning again in my lifetime, so ...
• That said, some things don't change week to week in the NFL, and one that definitely didn't yesterday was that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense continued to operate at will: They blew out the 49ers, 38-27, in Kansas City, the wonder-child behind center was nearly perfect again -- 314 yards, three touchdowns, no picks, scrambling all over creation -- and all the other weapons who'd been so effective against the Steelers just kept right on going. Vince Williams, whom I've learned to trust to tell it like it is, was adamant with me that what happened at Heinz Field had far more to do with the Chiefs' performance than anything. Maybe he's right.
• If the defense struggles again, I'll predict already that both Artie Burns and Bud Dupree will lose their starting jobs. And that Jon Bostic will sit for a safety. Not suggesting they'll be scapegoated, either. That's just their current state of favor.
• Watch for Roethlisberger's rhythm for an early sign as to how this will go. He and Randy Fichtner didn't rip up Todd Haley's playbook, but neither have they yet turned into some operatic script. There needs to be, for the first time, a flow, a show of confidence to both the running and passing games.
My wholly unsolicited suggestion: Quick fires across the middle. Not just to the tight ends, though that's a nice idea. Hit Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster there. James Conner, too. Move the sticks.
• On those occasions that the Pirates' front office shares with the world the nonsense they tell themselves on the inside, the result can be glorious.
Such was the case with Neal Huntington's assessment to reporters Sunday that this is "a club that is one win a month away from being a postseason team."
"That's how close we are," he continued. "One win a month. We figure out how to win one game a month more, and we're in a very different spot as we finish this season. We win two games a month more, and we're fighting for a division, which is ultimately where we want to be because that best positions you to win a World Series."
Writing columns about the Pirates' front office is easy. You just type the words they speak.
• OK, I can't resist: Assuming that the one-game-a-month was anything other than orchestrated spin, maybe someone can explain why Nick Kingham made 14 starts and Clay Holmes three others, rather than a viable big-league depth starter. That's 20 games right there. And that's to say nothing of the 173 plate appearances wasted on Sean Rodriguez. Or 91 on Jordan Luplow, or 67 on Max Moroff, or anyone else who batted .185 or lower.
I'm betting there are six Ws in there somewhere.
• By the way, with Kingham having pitched Sunday, that's twice in one week the Pirates willfully violated the city's noise ordinance.
• Classy move by Clint Hurdle to start Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer at their standard spots, second base and shortstop, and then to call them off the field, one at a time, basketball-style, in what surely will be their final game at PNC Park.
Both have been consummate professionals over the past half-decade with the Pirates, and both will be missed, on and off the field.
• Nothing about any cuts in the Penguins' camp should surprise anyone at any stage. It's the most set roster imaginable in a camp setting. But if there were one among the 18 slashed yesterday who was the biggest disappointment, it would definitely be big Jimmy Hayes, who played half of the Devils' games last season but showed poorly from Day 1 in conditioning and doesn't skate anywhere nearly well enough to play for Mike Sullivan.
He was a strange signing, actually, and that's obviously the domain of Jim Rutherford.
• Don't get hopes up for some upset on defense, either. Juuso Riikola will be in Wilkes-Barre when the Penguins open the season, and that's mostly reflective of the NHL roster -- really, who's getting bumped from this top six with Jack Johnson showing well? -- but also that he's got zero business hanging around in Pittsburgh as a healthy scratch. He can go up and down without clearing waivers, so might as well go down and get even more comfortable in Wilkes-Barre.
He'll be back before long. Defensemen don't stay healthy.
• Want some idea of how smart the Penguins are away from the ice?
The eighth annual Free Game for Kids, in addition to being an experience unlike any other in sports, brings in 15,000-plus children year after year, many of whom grow up to become paying customers, even season-ticket holders. That's how you build a core audience that carries over from generation to generation. Build from the ground up. Build rinks. Promote playing, not just watching. Do damned near everything right.
• Time for football. About to get serious, for better or worse.