NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- With just one preseason game standing between the Steelers and the start of the regular season, all has been quiet on the Western (Pa.) front.
And that's just the way this team likes it.
That, however, didn't stop Ben Roethlisberger from taking a semi-veiled shot at Antonio Brown.
Speaking after his first — and only – action of this preseason, an 18-6 win against the Titans here at Nissan Stadium, Roethlisberger was asked about the team's decision to not do any substitutions on the first two offensive possessions.
He was quick to note, however, in response to my question about that, the team did finally sub in some new guys on their third possession, which ended in a touchdown.
"We started to get a drive going, play after play, and it was pretty humid out there," Roethlisberger said. "I kind of subbed JuJu (Smith-Schuster) out. I could tell he was gassed. I said, 'Hey, give us (James Washington).' That's what is special and can be special about this group, the selflessness. I think every guy knows we need to be good and we need to be fresh. You're going to see more of that than you ever have probably on this team. Guys will be OK subbing out and rooting for their buddies to score and do good things and make plays for us."
Ouch.
Roethlisberger didn't name Brown there, but it was obvious to whom he referred.
This team, however, is way past all of the drama of previous seasons.
Even Roethlisberger's shot was a little more indirect than the tack the quarterback might have taken in the past.
"That's long gone in this locker room," David DeCastro said of the drama. "We've just kind of moved on and we're excited to play football. It's been a nice, calm atmosphere."
• As good as Washington has been in this preseason -- and he's been great -- it's not hard to look at this and wonder why he doesn't get onto the field more often.
In this game, for example, the Steelers played exclusively in 11 personnel (three receivers, one tight end and one running back) when Roethlisberger was on the field. The third receiver on the first and third possessions -- along with Smith-Schuster and Donte Moncrief -- was Ryan Switzer. On the second possession, it was Eli Rogers.
Now, maybe the coaching staff wanted to evaluate those two slot receivers. Or maybe they don't want to give the Patriots, against whom they open the season in a couple of weeks, any ideas.
But when you see Washington do things like this, it's hard to think he's not going to be part of the equation:
Washington has been dynamic in the preseason, catching nine passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns. But none of those receptions has come with Roethlisberger throwing him the ball.
In fact, as Roethlisberger noted above, the only time Washington was on the field with the starting quarterback was when Smith-Schuster subbed out for a play.
• Speaking of the first-team offense, might this be a year in which the Steelers start going for two-point conversions more often?
Mike Tomlin was as aggressive doing it as any coach in the league in 2015 and 2016, going for two a total of 20 times in those seasons. It worked in 2015, when the Steelers were 8 of 11, and then not so much in 2016 when they converted just 3 of 9.
Last season, the Steelers were 4 of 5 on two-point attempts, but they typically came when the Steelers were playing catch-up.
In this game, Tomlin told his starting offense they were going for two no matter what.
"Tomlin said before the game we were going for two with the first-team offense," running back Jaylen Samuels confirmed. "We knew that going in that if we scored, we were going to go for two."
The team did so after Roethlisberger threw a 17-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to Smith-Schuster, but failed to convert.
Roethlisberger looked to Smith-Schuster on the outside first, then dumped the ball off to Samuels. The running back appeared to have a chance to score if he got to the outside, but he slipped and fell on the wet turf, then quickly bounced back up and was stopped short.
"I had it but I slipped," Samuels said. "After that, I was just trying to get in the best I could."
• James Conner was good last season in his first year replacing Le'Veon Bell. He looks even better this year.
In limited preseason action, he has 11 carries for 69 yards and three receptions for another 21.
Not to be outdone, Samuels, who is in his second season, has 63 yards on 10 carries and three catches for 20 yards.
Might the Steelers have something in this young duo?
"We both worked hard in the offseason," Samuels told me. "James was down in Florida and I was in Charlotte, but we texted each other each day to check up on how our workouts were going. I think he looks like a beast."
The two are averaging an identical 6.3 yards per carry in the preseason, though it's doubtful either plays against the Panthers Thursday night to add to those totals.
Samuels credits the work they've done with first-year running backs coach Eddie Faulkner, who held the same position when Samuels was at North Carolina State.
"Coach Faulkner has worked hard with us on improving our balance and things like that," Samuels said. "He's been really good."
One thing Roethlisberger would like to see, however, is Conner avoid some of the big hits he sometimes takes.
"I keep telling him to stop spinning so much because he's going to get himself hurt," Roethlisberger said. "But he's looking good."
• If the battle for the No. 2 quarterback job was a prize fight, it might be stopped on punches right now.
While Josh Dobbs has more yards passing than Mason Rudolph (259 to 243), Dobbs has completed just 15 of 28 passes with no touchdowns and two interceptions, while Rudolph is 21 of 32 with three touchdowns and one interception.
Yes, Dobbs has an added dimension to his game with his running. He has eight carries for 59 yards. He also has a stronger arm and will make some bullet throws that make you take notice, such as this one:
But then later, he'll do something like overthrow 6-foot-8 tight end Zach Gentry from 20 feet away as he did in this game, resulting in an interception deep in Titans territory.
Expect to see a lot of Dobbs and Devlin Hodges, who didn't play in this game, against the Panthers. The Steelers might give Rudolph the starting nod, but don't expect him to play a lot in a game that won't feature too many regulars.
And no, Dobbs doesn't have a lot of trade value. He's thrown 12 career passes in the NFL, after all.
• For those keeping track at home, Kevin Rader played in this game before Zach Gentry.
Gentry, a fifth-round pick, did have one catch for 15 yards compared to none for Rader, a first-year player out of Youngstown State.
But the Steelers have been more pleased with Rader's blocking than they have Gentry's. And that's what they want out of their No. 3 tight end.
• The toughest cut remains at inside linebacker.
The Steelers figure to keep only five and Vince Williams, who had a sack in this game in his first preseason action, Mark Barron and first-round pick Devin Bush are givens. Tyler Matakevich, who has led the team in special teams tackles in each of the past three seasons, is all but a given.
The Steelers could keep six inside linebackers, but that would be a lot.
Robert Spillane and Ulysees Gilbert are making this a tough call. Both had five tackles in this game to lead the team, with Spillane also recording a sack and two tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Both also were on the field as first-team special teams guys. Whoever did their assignment the best there -- or makes a splash play against the Panthers -- could get the nod.
• Kameron Kelly also seems to have a spot locked up. In fact, the Steelers continue to use him in a three-safety nickel look instead of a true slot corner.
The really interesting thing was that the Steelers kept Kelly on the field in the dime in place of Mike Hilton as the nickel corner. The two extra defensive backs in the dime were Kelly and Cam Sutton.
I know I didn't have him on my initial 53-man projection, but it was because I kept six receivers. I'm not so sure that happens now.
Kelly will be on this roster, especially with Sean Davis suffering a minor ankle sprain in this game.
• One player who did nothing to help his cause was sixth-round pick Sutton Smith. He got into the game early because Bud Dupree suffered a right thumb injury and was overwhelmed by pretty much any front-line player the Titans put in front of him.
The undersized outside linebacker finished with just one tackle and was often washed out of plays.
Tuzar Skipper, on the other hand, continues to make plays. He had four more tackles and a sack in this game, giving him a team-high three in the preseason.
With Ola Adeniyi sidelined for at least another week or two, Skipper, like Adeniyi, a Toledo prospect, could find his way onto the roster, at least at the start of the season. At the very least, he's secured himself practice squad consideration.
• I know everyone gets excited about a quick little return guy like Diontae Spencer. And Spencer, overall, has been good in the return game, averaging 14.7 yards on seven punt returns.
But he picked up just 2 yards on his only return in this game. And you can only run so many end-arounds and reverses with him before teams catch on.
In fact, that happened in the second half of this game when the Steelers went back to the well after Spencer gained 29 yards on a reverse earlier in the game. The second time around, Spencer was dropped for a 10-yard loss that was negated because he was nearly beheaded when he was pulled down by his facemask.
Little guys take big hits in the NFL. And that was one of them.
At 5-foot-8, 185 pounds, Switzer isn't a great deal bigger than the 170-pound Spencer. But he is bigger. And Switzer did have a 20-yard punt return in this game.
