Now that it's the regular season, reporting rules have changed. This would've certainly been a great time to write about how, say, Jalen Ramsey covered Mike Evans, or Zach Frazier blocked Vita Vea, but only the players can discuss practice. And they did, briefly, with some reporters.
I didn't do it that way. Today's column will focus on four "old heads" with whom I spoke both before and after the Steelers' mixed practice Thursday with the Bucs. Some commentary will allow me to generalize about the practice, which was described as "Whoa, that was a good day's work!" by a sweat-drenched Tampa Bay assistant as he walked through the tunnel and back toward the locker room.
So, here are those so-called heads of state, guys who'll have a vested interest in Saturday night's preseason game between the teams' backups: