PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It hit Steelers tackle Broderick Jones the other night when he was at home ‘dang, I’m playing with Aaron Rodgers’. There were similar reactions from other Steelers players to having one of the greatest to ever play the position be their next quarterback.
What else stands out, he’s more normal than I think the perception is. Players that didn’t know him heard as much about his views on things other than football. He talked to the team before the first mini-camp practice and said he’s all-in and it appears they believe him.
Both Pat Freiermuth and center Zach Frazier said he seems like a great guy. For Frazier, one of the tricks is learning Rodgers’ snap cadence. The team actually made a recording so he could listen to it on his own time to prepare.
“He came in with the right attitude,” said Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones. “He’s out there. He’s involved. He’s in the playbook. I feel he’s going to be a great addition to the team.”
“He’s one of the best to do it,” said Steelers receiver Calvin Austin. “A guy like that, there will be tons of things to learn.”
Several discussed being a sponge in trying to learn from the four-time NFL MVP.
“Very excited, probably a Hall of Famer,” said receiver Roman Wilson. “Super Bowl champion. A lot of experience, a lot of wisdom. A guy I can learn from.”
“We are looking for whoever can help us compete and win a Super Bowl,” Freiermuth said. “I embrace the challenge. I think it trends well for tight ends. I’m excited for the opportunity.”
And that learning may not just be for the offensive players.
“When I was in Kansas City, we had Patrick Mahomes,” said safety Juan Thornhill. “Whenever we went against him, each and every day, it made the games so much easier because you are playing against one of the best quarterbacks in the league each and every day. I feel like it’s the same thing here. If you can go out and compete and stop him, you should be able to make plays against these other quarterbacks.”
Defensive captain Cam Heyward is more than happy to have the 41-year-old. He just wants to give him some time to get to know everyone.
“Let him be a teammate,” Heyward said. “Let him learn his ways. Let us learn him. Let him be part of the locker room, you don’t need to build it up to be something else.”
And now the talk of him not having offseason work with his new teammates has dissipated as Rodgers said he believes he can learn most of the offense in a couple of weeks. Head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith expressed confidence he will be up to speed early in training camp starting next month.
“There is more than enough time,” Freiermuth said. “He’s been in the league 20-plus years. He has a way of doing things. It’s just more so us getting caught up to what he does and he getting caught up to what we do as an offense. There is a lot of time between now and September. We got plenty of time to build that chemistry.”
While there might be a feeling of angst from many, mostly outside of the room. There is an excitement within it. Players were genuinely happy to add Rodgers who has been portrayed as a lot of things. But a feeling that he’s not only going to make it a better offense, but a better team.
“I think just how cool, calm and collected he is,” Jones said. “He’s been doing it for so long, but you know when you have been doing it for so long, you have that swagger to you. I feel like he’s still level-headed and ready to work.”
“I think the sky is the limit,” said center Zach Frazier of the offense under Rodgers. “The goal is to put up a lot of points every game. That’s what we are here to do.”
They believe Rodgers is going to help them do it.