Ah, the pleasantries of training camps. The oppressive heat. The two-a-day practices. The stuffy dorm rooms.

With the exception of the rookies and the obscure free agents looking to catch on, do any NFL players enjoy the grind they are about to endure? Unless they are masochists, probably not.

That’s one of the many reasons commissioner Roger Goodell wants to shorten the preseason. Still, there are incentives for just about everyone over the next six weeks — and dozens of questions to answer.

Yes, even the Pittsburgh Steelers, fresh off a record sixth Super Bowl title, have enough uncertainties that they’ll need much of August to answer.

At least they are doing it from the top.

“The organization keeps it level and with a tone that keeps distractions to a minimum,” cornerback Ike Taylor said. “Coach (Mike Tomlin) does a great job of coming in and doing that and we’ve got some veteran guys who know what it takes coming off the last Super Bowl. He has experienced Super Bowls and we have experienced Super Bowls, and that’s a good mix.”

But the Steelers aren’t mixed up about what lies ahead. Their offensive line was a source of concern last season and hasn’t been upgraded that much. They lost two key defenders in linebacker Larry Foote and cornerback Bryant McFadden. Reliable Nate Washington is gone as the third receiver.

Special feature 3 things to know about each team Tom Curran and Gregg Rosenthal break down the crucial info as NFL training camps begin NBCSports.com

And there’s the distinct and distasteful memory of how the Steel Curtain was shredded in 2006, the season after Pittsburgh’s previous Super Bowl win — the one for the thumb.

“It is a different time, a different place, a different set of circumstances,” Tomlin said. “On a personal note, my approach and mentality in regards to some of the things I can pull from, I’m sure I will.”

Different circumstances, accompanied by tons of question marks, abound in the NFL. Such as:

—Chicago and Denver. The Bears have a franchise quarterback, Jay Cutler, for the first time in decades, although his targets might not measure up to his talents. The Broncos no longer have Mike Shanahan at the helm after 12 years. He was fired following Denver’s monumental late-season collapse, and his replacement, Josh McDaniels, alienated Cutler before dealing him. McDaniels, 33, also brought in a score of free agents, likely increasing the adjustment time for everyone.

—New York (Jets), Cleveland, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Tampa, Seattle, St. Louis and Detroit. Like the Broncos, each of those teams has a new head coach.

Can Rex Ryan inspire a squad that folded (some say quit) at the end of 2008? Does Eric Mangini, who went from the Jets to the Browns, bring with him the touch that made the Jets contenders, or the heavy hand that helped them fall apart?

Slideshow   Previewing the 2009 season Ten teams who will rebound from 2008, our All-Pros, players ready to star and more.

Are McDaniels and the Buccaneers’ 32-year-old Raheem Morris too green to be in total charge at this point in their budding careers?

Does anyone have a tougher act to follow than Jim Caldwell as he succeeds Tony Dungy in Indianapolis? Well, perhaps Jim Mora in Seattle as he takes over for Mike Holmgren.

Jim Schwartz can’t do any worse than Rod Marinelli did in going 0-16 in Detroit, yet how much optimism can Lions fans have when they look at the roster and that the Lions are 200-1 shots to win the Super Bowl, according to BetUS.com? Better they have patience, lots of it.

Ditto in St. Louis, where Steve Spagnuolo will look at his defense and wonder where the pass rush will come from. That unit sure won’t resemble what he had with the Giants; there are no Osi Umenyioras or Justin Tucks on the Rams.