The Pittsburgh Steelers report to training camp in one week, and as the team, and organization, prepare for the 2016 season to officially begin, there is one facet of the team which is talked about more than any other.
It isn't about Martavis Bryant's year-long suspension.
Not the number of players, like Le'Veon Bell, David DeCastro or Markus Wheaton, all entering the final year of their current contracts.
Nope, not about Ben Roethlisberger's window of success either.
The main topic of conversation is the health of the team, and rightfully so.
Now, this isn't to say health is the only factor in the team's success in 2016, but it certainly ranks high on the list. After watching Le'Veon Bell, Maurkice Pouncey, Ben Roethlisberger, DeAngelo Williams, Kelvin Beachum and Ryan Shazier all miss significant time last season, and still end up being a lost fumble away from the AFC Championship game, it is hard not to have health on the forefront of fans' minds.
This is where Mike Tomlin comes in. As the coaching staff already has their training camp schedule prepared with workloads for individual players in mind, Tomlin would be wise to err on the side of caution.
There are those old-school fans who will gripe and yell about the modern day NFL being "too soft", but would you rather have your All-Pro center in the lineup in 2016? Or risk another ridiculous preseason injury which knocks him out for the season? As for me, I'd like to avoid the latter, please.
When looking at the landscape of the Steelers' team, there is no need for Tomlin to overly stress the starters this preseason.
Offensively, other than Sammie Coates, Ladarius Green, Jesse James and Alejandro Villanueva, the team is loaded with experienced talent. Pouncey, DeCastro, Foster and Marcus Gilbert all know what they are doing in the trenches. The same can be said about Roethlisberger, Bell, Williams and Antonio Brown.
Defensively the team has transitioned from a young and inexperienced group to a seasoned group of teammates. Sure, Artie Burns, Sean Davis, Javon Hargrave, Senquez Golson and Ross Cockrell could all use quality reps this preseason, but the rest of the defense certainly won't need to be stressed a great deal this preseason.
Some injuries cannot be prevented, like Ha Ha Clinton Dix rolling into Pouncey's ankle last preseason, but if Pouncey weren't in the game, the injury wouldn't have occurred. I have never been one to suggest protecting players from injury, but in this instance I would be fine with the starters watching more than participating in meaningless preseason games. Unlike 2015, the Steelers have 4 preseason games, and if Ben Roethlisberger plays a collective 4 quarters throughout the preseason -- hopefully handing the ball of 90-percent of the time -- that sounds like a recipe for success in my mind.
Similar to when Mike Tomlin took over as the Steelers coach in 2007, he took an experienced group and ground them into a stump, only to watch them lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars at home in the AFC Playoffs. Tomlin learned from his mistake and took his team to the Super Bowl the next year, protecting his players along the way.
Tomlin would be very wise to re-visit those practice notes from 2008 heading into 2016. To win you need your best players on the field, and erring on the side of caution isn't cowardly, it is intelligent. It might be boring, but I'll take a boring preseason to see exciting games in January and February.