Heading into what will be the 21st and potentially final season of Aaron Rodgers’ professional football career, the veteran signal caller looks to be as spry as one could possibly be at 41 years of age. The Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly been pleased with their decision to sign Rodgers all throughout the summer’s OTAs and training camps, claiming that he’s as sharp as he has ever been.
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Based on his recent two-minute drill results in camp, the former Green Bay Packer may be poised for one last record-setting season. The Steelers’ offense appears to be humming, a phrase which hasn’t been uttered in quite some time, and that’s something that Rodgers was visibly proud of while speaking to the press afterwards.
“I think we’ve been clicking the last three or four days,” Rodgers noted before suggesting that the tides are beginning to turn in camp.
“It’s much better. Our defense, obviously we added a lot of pieces to it. Always, early in camp, when the pads go on, the defense seems to have the upper edge and in the second week it starts to turn a little bit, so I feel like we’ve been playing better the last week and a half.”
A major talking point involving the Steelers, for both fans and analysts alike, has been the potential of the relationship between Rodgers and the team’s offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith. The fear of conflict or drama between the two has been a concern for many, but according to Rodgers himself, the two of them have had no issue with getting on the same page.
In fact, when he was asked about what excites him most about the offense, Rodgers promptly claimed “the relationship with Arthur.”
“We sat yesterday for two and a half hours just talking ball. It’s not all like X’s and O’s, it’s story telling from time to time. He’s not a rigid guy at all… Everything is taken into consideration, which I really appreciate… I’m just really enjoying him a lot as a person and the way he leads in front of the room. It’s been a lot of fun so far.”
Rodgers also noted that he runs an “open forum” concept with his team, encouraging his receivers and teammates to bring their suggestions and ideas to him. “Let me know, I’ll take it right to Art.” Given the amount of drama that Steelers fans have had to endure throughout this offseason, Rodgers’ comments are potentially the most rewarding aspect of this entire season.
There’s been turnover at key positions, holdouts, major trades, and free agency drama, but the Steelers now seem to believe that they are the better for it. There’s been a cloud of desperation hanging over Pittsburgh for quite some time now regarding their lack of playoff wins, so it’s nice to see Rodgers doing his best to shine a beam of light through it for the sake of the fanbase.
