There's an old TV commercial stuck in our heads here about women's hair products. And the jingle went, "You're not getting older. You're getting better!"
The Pittsburgh Steelers know the feeling.
And the Baltimore Ravens (who surely don't know the jingle) know the joke.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, love 'em or hate 'em, have inarguably executed a series of bold moves this offseason, in large part in an attempt to catch and surpass the Ravens in the AFC North.
The team started its roll by trading for star wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, and then by shipping fellow receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys.
Next? The Steelers famously (infamously?) added future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers via free agency, the four-time MVP having been dumped by the New York Jets.
And this week?
Two more gets, as on Monday, the Steelers swapped out starting defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick in exchange for tight end Jonnu Smith and cornerback Jalen Ramsey from the Miami Dolphins.
So, what's the joke?
The Steelers have maybe gotten better.
But they have surely gotten older. ... and that is a good enough reason to the rival to be the victim of some good-natured pokes and jokes.
Smith turns 30 in August. Ramsey will turn 31 this season. And Rodgers will of course turn 42 in what he plans to make his final NFL season.
Critics, led by some Ravens followers, are piling on, sort of skipping over the overall makeup of coach Mike Tomlin's roster, which includes young standouts like Troy Fautanu, Jaylen Warren, Derrick Harmon and Joey Porter Jr. and many others.
Also skipped over in Baltimore is the truth about what the "long in the tooth'' talent can do. ... and nobody exemplifies that better than the ageless Derrick Henry, still in the argument for NFL's best running back even in his 10th season at age 31.