Kovacevic: Seven ways the Steelers' No. 7 can still chase Lombardi No. 7

Not long after 1:30 p.m. Thursday on our city's South Side, maybe not more than a minute or so will lapse before someone messes up. Missed pass. Muffed punt. Whatever.

And once the very first misfire or mishap occurs, no matter how minuscule, I'm betting it'll feel like the beginning of the end.

You know, kind of like this did:

Because let's face it, with the first angry bang of Bud Dupree's open palm on the Heinz Field grass, those 11-0 Steelers U-turned into the 1-5 Steelers who'd be blown away in the opening playoff round by, of all opponents, the bleeping Browns. Coincidence or not. Simultaneous offensive miseries or not. Poof. All gone. Just like that.

It stung then and still does. But arguably a little too much.

I mean, honestly, enough with all the forecasts of doom and gloom and -- my God -- fourth place behind the Bengals. T.J. Watt's still in town, there's still a ton of other talent at hand on both sides of the ball, the broader depth is no better or worse than it is for most teams under a flat salary cap, and whatever negatives can be attached to Ben Roethlisberger being old might be more than offset by Najee Harris being brand new.

I'm seeing 10-7. I'm seeing playoffs. And in the NFL, once one sees playoffs, one can easily see further, as well.

On the eve of this training camp, I offer seven reasons why No. 7 and crew could at least hope to chase Lombardi No. 7:

7. TAKEAWAYS INTACT

In 2019, the Steelers' defense had 38 takeaways, most in the league. Then, in 2020, they had 27 takeaways, second-most behind the Dolphins' 29. But in 2021, it'll apparently be ... zero?

Seriously, it's mostly the same group. Mike Hilton had three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Steven Nelson had two interceptions and a fumble recovery. That's it for takeaways in 2020 among players who aren't here anymore. And I'd make a vocal argument that this figure could actually rise with a full season of Devin Bush dropping into coverage rather than Robert Spillane or Vince Williams. At worst, it seems likely to stay in the same range.

Oh, also, Minkah Fitzpatrick still exists.

6. RANDY'S GONE

As in Randy Fichtner, of course.

Look, I'm not about to pile on, but after years of exasperating predictability, I'm rolling out the warm-and-fuzzy for Matt Canada as if he were a long-lost uncle. We reporters aren't permitted to discuss specifics of what we see in OTAs and minicamp, but I'm quite comfortable sharing that I saw more ingenuity in a handful of those drills than I'd see in a lifetime of Fichtner's work. Lots of moving parts. Lots of smart patterns. Lots and lots of deception.

Canada might not make the difference, but it's inconceivable he won't make a difference. This is night and day.

5. THE FRONT FIVE

For all the accolades T.J. and Bud have rightly received, it's forever been under-appreciated, it seems, that the three big boys between them have been perceived as equally dangerous by their opponents.

Think about it: Why does T.J. seldom see a double-team?

This is why: Because Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu bring their own elite level of disruption. Because all five -- that's five, not one or two -- were ranked a month ago as the NFL's very best defensive front by the film analysts at Pro Football Focus:

Heyward, Tuitt and Alualu have all been around a bit, but there was no trace of falloff for any in 2020. Alex Highsmith isn't Bud, but then, Bud wasn't nearly as advanced as Highsmith at this stage of the former's career, so let's keep the parallels fair. If Highsmith can seal the edge on the right side and cut off any escape valve, the others can relieve a lot of the pressure on him.

Saying this once more with gusto: Highsmith can be very good and very now.

And now, with Melvin Ingram added as insurance, both he and T.J. will be spelled as needed.

4. A RECEIVER BREAKOUT

Chase Claypool's 342 yards after the catch ranked second among all NFL rookies in 2020, as did his four catches made 20-plus yards downfield. It'd appear that bigger things, maybe much bigger things are ahead, if only ... you know, the quarterback feeds him. Which Ben might. And if he does, he's capable of star-level splash.

What makes Claypool's potential this fall most remarkable to me, though, is that he still might not be his team's true breakout receiver.

From this perspective, that'll be Diontae Johnson. 

His ceiling's way higher than what he's shown through two years. Most targets. Most yards. But also the most drops, and that, coupled with the dent in confidence and Ben's late-season struggle, has kept him well short of where he can be. I see him leading this corps in every significant category, not just targets and yards, as he did in 2020, but also overtaking JuJu Smith-Schuster in catches.

That's not a knock on Claypool or JuJu but, rather, how strongly I believe in Diontae's route-running, his versatility and that he'll overcome the drops -- he feels he's identified the issue in abandoning the ball too soon before his next move -- and become WR1 with a bullet.

But my goodness, consider what this competition could mean.

3. NA-JEE! NA-JEE!

It's tempting to try to tamp down the inferno of anticipation that appears to already surround the new franchise back.

So I'll do my part. Won't speak a syllable.

Won't have to, either. Not when a 21-second footwork drill from rookie camp draws half a million views to our YouTube channel:

2. OH, THAT O-LINE

Any other team, any other year, this tops any list.

It's as ominous as any positional alignment anywhere in the NFL, having all five prospective starters on the offensive line manning their respective positions in Pittsburgh essentially for the first time: Chuks Okorakor will be new at left tackle, moving from right. Zach Banner might as well be new at right tackle, having been lost for the season in the 2020 opener. Kevin Dotson made a handful of starts as a rookie left guard. Trai Turner's trying to bounce back from an ineffective, injury-wracked 2020 in L.A. And center ... that'll go to part-timer B.J. Finney or third-round rookie Kendrick Green.

This is terrifying.

And take that from someone who's got firm faith in at least two of these guys, Okorafor and Banner.

I get that change was a must. The real reason Ben was releasing the ball in an NFL-best 2.7 seconds, though he'd never say so, is that his longtime buds up front were being bulldozed. All of them. And it was even uglier on running plays. No regrets here over the losses of Alejandro Villanueva or David DeCastro or even Maurkice Pouncey.

But energy and enthusiasm alone won't school everyone in Canada's zone-blocking scheme, much less creating the chemistry, the camaraderie that have to be in place by, oh, roughly 1:02 p.m. on the 12th of September in Orchard Park, N.Y.

There probably are greater occupational challenges than the one Adrian Klemm's undertaking, but I can't think of one.

Wait, this was supposed to be upbeat, right?

OK, well, it won't be the 2020 O-line. That's real, and that's positive. We'll see how it unfolds.

1. SAME AS IT EVER WAS

Take notes:

• Ben needs to stay upright.

• Ben needs to throw downfield.

• Ben needs to heed -- and cede -- to Canada.

Take all of the above, meaning the whole column, roll it up in a cyber-ball and bury it six feet deep into the recycle bin if the iconic quarterback fails to achieve all three of those objectives. Whether it winds up his fault or anyone else's won't matter. It'll still blow up all the rest.

Again, it's wild that an all-musical-chairs line could be dwarfed in relevance, but Ben always buys his own real estate on these lists. He remains only everything to the process. I'm no Mason Rudolph basher, but I wouldn't be betting on the Steelers to be winners with anyone else on this depth chart at the helm. It's Ben or bust.

To his credit, he's exhibited his own energy and enthusiasm this summer, showing up for way more offseason stuff than the norm, shedding a few pounds to adjust to being 39 years old and generally acquitting himself ... well, Ben-like in his team drills. He looks swifter, and his arm looks at least a little stronger.

There. I'll stop right there.

Go chase the Lombardi or something. It'll be better than being chased.