Steelers offensive lineman Brock Hoffman referred to it as the "black-and-blue division" following last week's 30-27 win against Cincinnati.
That moniker often gets associated with the NFC North, but there's no doubt it applies to the AFC North, as well. The Steelers are more in their black-and-orange phase at the moment, going from the Bengals to the Browns, and it figures to be another bruising, physical installment of a Pittsburgh-Ohio rivalry. And this one is a border war.
"I thought the game Sunday was exactly the way it was supposed to be," Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said before Tuesday's practice. "It was a division rivalry-type game, AFC North-type football game. But I'm old. I remember the '70s. I remember the Steelers and the Browns from those days, and I can identify with that. So, yeah, it's AFC North. We have three rival opponents to go through this. We look for this to be a knock-down, drag-out type of game."
The Steelers rose to that occasion in Week 3, controlling the line of scrimmage and the second level, as well. Cleveland is a quick trip, but the Steelers don't have much time to get there.
That's why they scheduled a walk-through for late afternoon Tuesday, which is typically a players' day off. And professional athletes are creatures of habit, with a refined process for how to put one hard-hitting game behind them while readying for the next.
"This is a schedule I've grown into over the years, just having the opportunity to play a number of games on Thursday," McCarthy said. "The late start is very beneficial on a number of fronts."
One of those is to provide ample time for players to rest and recharge. Sleep is important, no matter how much film you need to watch on the upcoming opponent. Many of them also have bodywork and treatment built into their regular Tuesday schedules, which shift quite a bit on a short week, obviously.
But an early-evening session on the field also benefits the coaches. They have to cram all their game planning into a condensed window so that it's all done in time for practice.
And that's all while McCarthy is serving as the "volume police." He's the "bad guy" when it comes to advocating for fewer play calls and more creativity on the offensive menu for most weeks.
"It's part of your job as a head coach," McCarthy said. "I think it's important. When you say 'cut back' [on plays] people think you're just going to line up in a 2 by 3 or 3 by 3 [formation]. That's not necessarily the case."
In other words, there's still plenty of room for aiming to exploit the mismatches you believe you have against a defense. That's what a good play-designer and play-caller does, more often than not.
But McCarthy acknowledged that the turnaround from Sunday to Thursday has its inherent disadvantages with regard to schematics. Not to mention the Steelers are only in Week 4 with an almost entirely new coaching staff, with a rookie starter at one spot and a couple of others making regular contributions. In the end, it's about executing the details no matter what.
"You're definitely challenged on a short week like this, too," McCarthy said. "So, I think it's just trying to find a balance there, as far as what we're going to do, but more importantly, how much we're going to do. It's because of where we are on offense. We don't have a ton of experience working together. So, it's important for us to be productive, score more points than the other team. But in the same breath, you have to grow. Doing a bunch of things not so well, in my opinion, is not the best path to do that."
