Dec 16, 2022 5 min read

As this turns into a lost season for the Steelers, there’s always fans who want to see this player or that one to “see what he can do.”

That’s not what the NFL is about.

There are only 53 players on a roster. Those 53 players practice every day. They’re in the meeting rooms.

Believe it or not, the coaching staff has a pretty good idea of what they’re capable of doing. They don’t need to see it. And they’re the only ones who matter.

If they thought inserting this rookie or that young guy into a game would help them win in a given week, they’d do so.

“We’re in the business of trying to win a game,” said Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. “I’m not in the business of trying to see who’s up for next year’s varsity squad. I want guys right now who can help us win a game, because our job is to win games now. And that’s the only way I’ll coach.”

It’s the only way coaches should approach things.

This isn’t high school or college football. About 40 percent of an NFL team’s roster will turn over from year to year. NFL teams aren’t concerned about the long view. It’s a short-term business.

As former Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons head coach Jerry Glanville once famously said, the NFL stands for, “Not For Long,” if you don’t get the job done.

• Major League Baseball is broken.

That’s not news to anyone. But how teams can continue to give out 10-year, fully-guaranteed contracts is beyond ridiculous.

Has there been a single instance where a player got a 10-year contract from a team where that player spent the length of the contract with the team that gave him the deal?

• I had a chance to stop and chat with Canonsburg’s Rodney Thomas a couple of weeks ago when the Steelers played the Colts.

The rookie safety out of Yale is having himself a good season for the Colts, starting seven games and appearing in all 13 of Indianapolis’ games. He’s recorded 33 tackles with an interception and two pass defenses and is in the team’s long-term plans, according to sources with the Colts.

A seventh-round pick of the Colts this year, Thomas is a graduate of Pittsburgh Central Catholic.

• Thomas isn’t the only local player having a good season in the NFL. South Fayette High School graduate Justin Watson has 13 catches for 221 yards and two touchdowns this season for the Chiefs.

Watson, a product of Penn, is in his first season with the Chiefs after spending his first four years with the Buccaneers. So, Watson, who needs two more receptions in the final four weeks to set his career high, has now worked with Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. That’s pretty good company.

This week’s games

Steelers (plus 2) at Panthers: The Steelers got embarrassed by the Ravens on the ground last week. And when a team gets embarrassed like that, it usually bounces back the next week. The Ravens also didn’t have any big mistakes by their young quarterbacks. Does anyone expect Sam Darnold to play mistake-free football and win three-straight games? The Steelers will be going for a sweep of the NFC South. Take the Steelers, 20-16.

Bengals (minus 3½) at Buccaneers: Trey Hendrickson is out, robbing the Bengals of their top pass rusher. Wide receivers Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are both banged up. That should make things interesting in this game. Can the Bucs cobble together enough offense to win this one? If the Panthers beat the Steelers and the Bengals beat the Bucs, then Carolina is in first place in the lousy NFC South at 6-8. Yuck. Take Tampa Bay to cover in a 23-20 loss.

Rams (plus 7) at Packers: Are the Packers playing well enough this season to be giving any opponent a full touchdown? They haven’t so far. Baker Mayfield rallied the Rams for a win last week with only one full practice. The Packers can’t score. Take the Rams to cover in a 20-18 loss.

Titans (plus 2½) at Chargers: The Chargers are finally starting to get healthy. And the Titans are limping to the finish line in the AFC South. Derrick Henry could have a field day here against the Chargers’ soft run defense, which allows a ridiculous 5.4 yards per carry. But Justin Herbert is recovered from the rib injury that bothered him earlier in the year. Take the Chargers, 24-20

Patriots (plus 1) at Raiders: Bill Belichick versus his longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The Patriots got banged up in winning against the Cardinals Monday night and the Raiders were embarrassed in a loss to the Rams. Don’t expect a lot of offense in this game. Take the Raiders, 16-13

Last Week: 2-3 ATS; 4-1 straight up.

Overall: 33-33-4 ATS; 45-25 straight up.