(Photo by Scott Boehm/Getty Images)
Standards are good. They define our goals and prove to us that we have excelled or conversely fallen short.
Coach Mike Tomlin has made it clear over the last week that he has set rigid standards for his new players and, as a result, he has separated the men from the boys.
Rookie receiver Mike Wallace has clearly taken to heart the fact that he has an opportunity to play for a great football team. He has delivered with poise and grace by catching and securing nearly every pass that has been thrown his way.
At the other end of the spectrum, Limas Sweed has dropped the ball and will not be given further opportunity to play barring a rash of injuries to the receiving corps.
The standards are high for the young guys trying to secure a spot on the Steelers roster. Why then are standards so lax for the veterans, when they are the ones who are supposed to be leading the youth?
Watching Brett Favre go in and win the game for the Vikings in the final seconds on Sunday, I do understand that certain veterans can step in with limited preparation and lead.
The Super Bowl champion Steelers however, are playing like they have no real goals for the 2009 season.
After hearing portions of coach Tomlin's press conference that was held yesterday, a couple of comments that he made stood out to me.
When discussing his decision to relegate Rashard Mendenhall to limited play on special teams because he slacked in his preparation, he mentioned that, "It's a little different when a veteran football player potentially makes mistakes in preparation for a game. If Hines Ward misses an assignment on a Thursday, you kind of 'hmm' and you move on."
His attitude stands in sharp contrast to that of former Steelers coach Chuck Noll, who was able to achieve back-to-back Super Bowl victories on two separate occasions.
I read an account of a time when Noll cut a player who had been voted Steelers MVP by his team the previous year.
The player in question ignored a team curfew, feeling that he had earned the right for a little special consideration. Coach Noll promptly cut the player, sending a message to the rest of his team that his standard stood for the whole team, proven veterans and green rookies alike.
With the 2006 season beginning to loom ominously in the rear view mirror, there is still time to look back not only at what has been muffed, but at what has been accomplished.
Just a short 10 months ago, we were all feeling the pain of the Steelers loss to the Colts in Heinz Field last November.
That game featured a classic example of the Steelers giving away a game that they had won in the first half. At the end of the game, however, coach Tomlin gave a bit of an ultimatum to our quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger.
He told the injured star that the team rules applied even to him and that if he was unable to practice in the upcoming week, he would also be unable to play.
At the time, Tomlin's tact and professionalism in handling that matter with a minimum of drama impressed me.
The following week against the tough San Diego Chargers, our team prevailed despite colossal issues, like our inability to score a single touchdown inside of the red zone.
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