Cannon Firing Line

Chapter Two
By Ellis G. Cannon
PSR Publisher

The Steelers never thought mandatory minicamp would ever look so good.

But they do—and should—for several reasons.

The most obvious, of course, is Ben Roethlisberger. His off-season has saturated Steelers Nation, players and coaches. If you think it's been a dominant topic, what do you think it's' been like for the players? How much do you think they want to change the conversation – even if it means workouts in May?

This saga's next chapter is only the beginning of what promises to be another lengthy ordeal. The Ben story may not be headline news over the next few weeks, but it will be once training camp begins and, even in absentia, when the Steelers open their season against Atlanta.

Atlanta, as in Georgia.

*Georgia*.

Besides, don't forget how the media works. Ben is the go-to topic not just now, but whenever the media wants it to be. Put together a stretch of slow days on the sports wire—and, presto—here comes more Ben. There's an element of marketing to it considering it's a topic producing endless opinions. There's also an element of laziness to it because it's so easy to do. Regardless, it's reality.

Beyond that chatter, however, is the real life issue of figuring out which QB is going to be responsible for the offense through the first quarter of the season. If you learned Ben would be out of action four weeks during a season because of an injury, half the Nation wouldn't sleep at night. Well, Ben's going to be out for at least four weeks.

No, it's not an injury and, yes, it's the off-season, so the Steelers have time to prepare. But it's easy to forget that issue during these days when tawdry trumps topics such as how his absence will impact him and team dynamics, both now and when he returns, or what type of shape he'll be in when he does.

There are other reasons minicamp is now more important. Sporting News had a piece with Jets' head coach Rex Ryan on why minicamp is important – and a vital tool to starting a season right. He emphasized chemistry, conditioning and strategy. In the Steelers' case, they're coming off a non-playoff season and their starting quarterback won't be at work. New players will be, whether the bevy of newbies selected in the draft or the boatload of veterans brought back to provide depth, competition and character. The latter know the drill, particularly here, but want to begin their latest Steelers' futures showing it was a good idea to bring them back. The former have no clue, but if they are of the makeup the Steelers hope, they will jump at the chance to soak up everything they can.

Just as the Steelers will be soaking up even spring football – for reasons they want and others they need.