Mark Madden: Talk of Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger's weight a big nothing burger

Training camp is upon us. So are refreshing Steelers notes. But I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news: Under 8½ wins is a lock.

• Speaking as a big fatso, I can accurately say Ben Roethlisberger is not fat. He’s a whole lot of great quarterback, that’s all. He looks exactly like he always has. That “source” who came out of nowhere and preached about Roethlisberger’s new-found dedication to diet and conditioning skewed expectations. If Roethlisberger fails, it will be because the offensive line stinks or because, at 39, his body betrays him. The former could expedite the latter.

• Roethlisberger’s age and lack of mobility limit how much he can change within the context of Matt Canada’s offense. All the Steelers can do different is run the ball more, and better. Najee Harris will facilitate that. The offensive line could ruin that.

• Vince Williams was an average inside linebacker. But Williams oddly retiring at the start of camp leaves the Steelers with rotten depth at yet another position. When a team seems badly hurt after a mediocre player quits, it says a lot about that team’s substandard caliber.

• If Melvin Ingram is healthy, he should start at edge rusher opposite T.J. Watt. Second-year pro Alex Highsmith should have to beat out Ingram. Ingram has a higher immediate upside. He made Pro Bowls in 2017, ’18 and ’19 before being hurt last year. This should be obvious. But it won’t happen. The Steelers drafted Highsmith to succeed Bud Dupree and will stick to that plan.

• The only legit position battle at camp seems to be for the third cornerback spot in sub packages. James Pierre, who was undrafted, looks like the favorite because he had two interceptions at mini-camp. If that’s all Pierre needs to get his nose in front for the job, that’s an indictment of third-year corner Justin Layne, a third-round pick that has made little progress. Second-year pro Antoine Brooks Jr. will play slot corner in the Steelers’ exhibition opener.

• JuJu Smith-Schuster is an influencer for Trojan condoms. That’s logical: He’s got no children. Le’Veon Bell reportedly has seven kids by six women. Bell’s slogan for endorsing birth control could be, “Too little, too late.” A Mike Tomlin catchphrase could be used: “When the rubber meets the road.”

• The Steelers have an elite defense, but it’s only as good as its weakest link. When the game is on the line, the foe will try to exploit it. Watt won’t decide things. Robert Spillane will. The opposition will go right after Spillane in a critical situation.

• Why does Watt have to sit series in the fourth quarter, even when the score is close? Is he really that tired? Suck it up and stay out there, Defensive Player of the Year wanna-be.

• Watt might not get the lucrative contract extension he wants before the season. The Steelers should let Watt’s deal expire, then franchise him for one or two seasons. That might make Watt feel disrespected, and he would likely express that. Too bad. That would entail the least risk for the Steelers. Watt’s brother J.J. started getting chronically injured at 27. T.J. is 26.

• It was hilarious when Steelers scrub Cassius Marsh criticized former employer New England because “they treat players like crap” and “there’s no fun.” Marsh’s NFL “career” started in 2014, and he’s been with seven teams. He’s been cut so many times, it’s a wonder he hasn’t bled to death. No one is less qualified to judge the method of the NFL’s most successful team ever.

• Kyle Brandt of the NFL Network asked why the Steelers collapsed at the end of three straight seasons. That question isn’t asked locally because the answer is obvious: Unfocused culture and a laissez-faire coach who has overstayed his effectiveness. Other excuses are available and used, like injuries, etc. But when you’re 7-2-1, 8-5 and 11-0 and finish up out of the playoffs, out of the playoffs and out in the wild-card round, there is undeniable systemic failure. With the Steelers playing legit Super Bowl contenders in each of their last four games, it could happen again.

• The first two games will determine the direction of the Steelers’ season. Host Buffalo is a six-point favorite in Week 1. Visiting Las Vegas is a 5½-point underdog in Week 2. The Steelers should lose at Buffalo, then win at home (duh). But the Raiders don’t stink. Their over/under for wins is 7½, just one less than the Steelers. That’s a losable game. The Steelers can’t start 0-2. They won’t make up ground at season’s end. Not when they play vs. Tennessee, at Kansas City, vs. Cleveland and at Baltimore. Not when they have a tradition of late-season collapses.

• It’s funny when a draft pick signing is announced like it’s news. What choice did he have? Who was the last draft pick who didn’t sign?

• The Steelers opting out of training camp at Latrobe has been swept under the rug. The players complained to the NFLPA about potential covid policy violations — not because of concern about covid, but because they didn’t want to live in dorm rooms. This development created little discussion, because it makes the players look entitled (which they are). But the impact on Latrobe’s economy is bad. You watch: Training camp will never go back to Latrobe.

• Some practices at Heinz Field will be open to the public. But they won’t allow lawn chairs and Styrofoam coolers, and there’s no hill to sit on. It won’t be the same beyond the pretend expertise: “Hey, that free-agent cornerback looks pretty good!”

• If an NFL game has to be canceled due to a covid outbreak and can’t be rescheduled, the team responsible for the cancellation forfeits and neither team will be paid. That’s as it should be. Personal choice is fine, but a multibillion-dollar business can’t be expected to suffer because of it. Not when there’s a vaccination readily available.