Cannon Firing Line
Finally... It's Go Time
By Ellis G. Cannon
PSR Publisher

Thankfully, we can all now breath a huge sigh of relief. As once put so eloquently, our long national nightmare is over.

The NFL exhibition drills are behind us and the real games are here. That turn of events could not have happened soon enough.

Actually, you have to give the NFL credit. In another example of how it markets so well, the league has convinced seemingly everyone that practice games, not to mention training camps, must be treated like playoff games.

Years ago, and not so many at that, such a notion would have been considered insane. The truth is, of course, that it's still insane but the power of marketing excellence has made most people forget that.

The reality is that what just happened in Latrobe, and around the league, was nothing more than drills, practices and exhibitions in which team officials, coaches and players focused on things that most everyone else didn't see. They were about individual performances, matchups, experiments and so forth. They weren't about anything else. Yet, these lab studies are analyzed, covered, and ultimately treated like so much more.

In some venues around the league, as there has been in the past here, there is some intrigue during August when half the roster is open or legitimate position battles abound. Under those circumstances, following along has some merit. Unlike those years, this most recent camp and games, like mini-camp that preceded them, was all about the coverage a team heavily favored to play in the Super Bowl receives.

Like other teams, the hyperventilating associated with training camp is not the Steelers' fault. They don't want to be there and only are because it's their job. Ditto with the media members assigned to the incinerator that was St. Vincent's. If anything, considering how very little was at stake in Latrobe, those folks should each receive a Medal of Honor for enduring such a harrowing experience while keeping your interest at nearly fever pitch. Whether in print, television or radio, fans should consider themselves lucky to have so many qualified sources of information. If you're a Steelers fan, you couldn't ask for more.

Which, of course, is why Jerry DiPaola is so prominently featured in this issue.

No, this year the only storyline worth watching was the team's ability to get through the exercise without getting injured. No more, no less. OK, maybe how a couple linebackers would fare in new passing game assignments, but nothing worth holding a region hostage over. But that was about it. No job battles. No competition to speak of. Nothing that would materially change the lineup when the real season begins.

Again, as a tribute to the leauge's marketing genius, not to mention the Steelers' power in the market, you were able to get much more. More, in fact, than you could expect in our other professional sports. When did you last hear someone offer "...I checked out the Bucs tonight before the Cubs game and Jack Wilson looked a bit sloppy infield practice"? Or, "...during practice at Southpointe the other day, some prospect out of Nowhere really looked confused when the Penguins inserted him on the fourth line"?

Or how about this perspective: Nobody is going to care how somebody looked during practice in St. Vincent in the middle of the season when the real deal is going down. Nobody, absolutely nobody. In fact, if you hear somebody say, "...yeah, you're right, he's stinking up the joint here in November, but, believe me, he really looked good at camp...", well, find an 800 number and reach out for professional counselors.

In the meantime, read on and get the real deal on what lies ahead.

It's safe now.

Ellis Cannon is also a regular panelist on KDKA-TV's "#1 Cochran Sports Showdown" aired Sundays at 11:35 p.m.