Aaron Rodgers Media Availability (June 10) | Pittsburgh Steelers

Aaron Rodgers Media Availability (June 10) | Pittsburgh Steelers

what was the first day of practice like it was good good to be out here with the guys still learning the offense uh but good to be uh good to be in a jersey and cleats again how long will it take you to take the offense to i mean that’s a those are two different things the offense uh it’s a lot of the similar terms from the Shannan offense so I got a lot of stuff already booked there’s a couple new words and and different things formationally but I’ll have it figured out you know in a couple weeks probably aaron you visited here over 70 days ago what made now the right 70 yeah it’s been a little bit what made now the right time to sign a deal and be here uh you know I was dealing with a lot of things in my personal life and uh some things uh improved a little bit where I felt like I could fully be uh all in here with the guys had great conversation with Mike throughout the entire process and Omar um but it’s good to get that done and get behind us why was the Steelers the right fit for you uh you know I think it starts with Mike Tomlin i mean I’ve been a fan of his for a long time uh there’s a few iconic franchises in the NFL i played for one of them for 18 years this is another one one of those uh there’s something special about uh obviously this this area so many great quarterbacks are from Pittsburgh i feel like Pittsburgh has been a part of my career from the beginning uh playing for Mike McCarthy for 13 years having Tom Clemens or Tommy Clemens depending how old you are uh as my quarterback coach forever dom Capers uh Kevin Green Darren Perry uh Ben Mcadoo Frank Signetti uh Luke Getsy I don’t want to forget anybody but a lot of yanzers in my life you had said you had said a week ahead of the draft that you were leaving all options open including retiring how clearcut was it in your mind as you went through the process that you were going to play i wouldn’t say it was super clearcut um I didn’t want to short change the guys uh and be you know sign but be elsewhere mentally or physically so until I could be here uh and be all in you know I needed to take care of my business what was your message i’m going to keep that between me and the guys kim Hayward talked on his podcast this morning about how important it would be to bring this morning uh well yes yeah this this morning but he talked about the leadership that you could bring to the offensive side of the ball and how that’ll be very important what kind of how much of that was the conversation when you first talked to the team about what you can be as a leader well I think I just want to be a servant leader here and just pass on the knowledge that I have with 20 years the experience and just try and fit in with the guys get to know them let them get to know me and uh just enjoy the process you know this is everything’s new it’s like the first day of school i don’t know a lot of guys names they don’t have names on the back of the jerseys here they don’t have names on the doors in the meeting room so I literally walk out of the locker room lost try and grab somebody hey where am I going um but I’ll get the feel of it and and I’m excited about making this home at this point in your life why why do you still want to play yeah i mean I think that’s what it is like I don’t I don’t need it uh for my ego i don’t need it to keep playing um a lot of decisions that I’ve made over my career in life from strictly the ego even if they turn out well are always unfulfilling but the decisions made from the soul are usually pretty fulfilling so this was the decision that was best for my soul and I felt like being here with coach T and the guys they got here and the opportunity here was the best for me and and I’m excited to be here erin is it different physically being two almost two years out from the Achilles as it was posted to one yeah I mean I’m 41 so body feels different than it did at 25 but uh I feel better i feel good last year um you know I worked really hard it was a tough couple years getting hurt and then rehabbing for a year to get back but I feel good kind of along those lines after the way things unfolded last year what do you feel like is different about this organization and about you physically mentally uh that will lead to more success here i’m not going to I’m not going to take any shots at at my previous organization that’s what you’re trying to get me to do um I’m just going to talk about these guys i like the opportunity here i like the the feel with the guys i like how Mike T has been in the meetings um Tom Arthur and I known each other since 2006 he was in my quarterback room uh our first offseason together still has the prettiest draft I’ve ever seen so it was good to good to see him arthur I’ve known for a number of years obviously everybody in the Shenan tree is close um enjoyed uh our conversations over the last few months and and and the one-on-one times we’ve had in the meeting rooms looking at film and talking about the offense what have you grown to appreciate about the city of Pittsburgh and what are you looking forward to experiencing more now you know living here and working i love the Greenfield Avenue area mike told me to say that um no I mean this is a blueco collar town you know that the history of this this great area is built building the structure of the country so a lot of great people here um great fan base you know we played here over the years um they even got their own song they play you know late in the third or in the fourth quarter um but it’s a special special place uh to play sports uh just great great uh bluecollar people and uh I’m excited to uh meet some of the fans along the way hey Aaron what would winning big winning a championship mean to even as far as you’ve accomplished at this point in your career that’ mean a seventh championship for the city right that’d be that’d be great internally though is there drive for you that’s that motivates you in terms of pursuing that i have a I have a lot that motivates me but this is about the love of the game the game has given me so much over the years and uh you know making peace with a nice long career you mentioned the Shangh is the familiarity already with this system part of what made this an attractive destination i mean that was part of it yeah i mean I liked I liked Arthur obviously I’ve known Tom forever um a big attraction was Mike Tomlin i’ve uh gone against him over the years the way that the conversations went between him and I uh between whatever it was in March or April and uh you know the last Sunday when I called him was uh some of the coolest conversations I’ve had in the game definitely with the head coach so he’s a big reason I’m here i believe in him and uh excited to play for him what makes you feel that way why do you say he’s a problem what what has he kind of showed you or rubbed off on you well I mean we have some we’ve had some great conversations and I just appreciated the way that uh that he treated me throughout the process what do you know of DK Medaf and Pat’s game makes you excited to work with them as DK has been blowing me up for a while um you know we we uh got to get together out west but uh I’ve gone against him a number of times he’s big athletic uh fast got great hands ball skills um but the thing that that really is excites me the most is his character i think he’s a high character guy you know I was teasing him the first conversation we had he said “Yes sir.” Like 10 times i said “Is that cuz I’m 41?” He said “No that’s how I talk.” So I just I like I like his whole his whole personality and his approach and the way he is on the field his professionalism pat’s been blowing me up mostly on DMs and on on on the gram um but uh I’ve had respect for his game for a while too he was just teasing me about two-minute starters there at the end um but I like I like the opportunity to work with all the guys in the tight end room there’s a lot of guys with different skill set i told Darnell today I haven’t had a tight end like him since Mercedes and Mercedes all-time great uh Darnell is like a young Mercedes able to do things in the passing game dominate the line of scrimmage connor had a really nice day today I thought making plays so there’s a lot of lot of guys in that room with with great skill sets aaron do you anticipate having another workout with any of the guys between now and training camp i do i just got to get them i I got to try and convince him to come out to Malibu California it’s going to be a tough sale I think tough sale did you respond to Pat’s DMs on I did yeah I did i did did you do your meeting your meeting here earlier in the year did you leave with any material just to study what they do or anything like that no I just got in my Malibu and uh took off you were going through your process this off season how much did you consider maybe organizations is he weighing all your options or would you decide that you were return uh you know I mean I think there was conversations with other organizations for sure but uh again the rapport that that fell in between me and Mike uh made it to where as I was going through my personal stuff uh there wasn’t any other option for me it was here and I play aaron at the end of your documentary you said you’re at the point in your career you don’t think you need to prove anything to anyone but yourself what do you want to prove to yourself this year i said that in my documentary uh I just want to have fun i want to enjoy the game the game’s given me a ton uh it’s hard to think of anything in my life that’s positive that wasn’t impacted by directly or indirectly by playing this game so just want to give love back to the game enjoy it pass on my knowledge to my teammates and uh you know try and find find ways to to help lead the team i don’t think you took any team reps today is that the plan the next couple of days and how much was it learning you have the helmet out you’re listening to the play hole how much learning today in the field watches i can’t stand the helmet um I’ve worn a shut for 20 years and somehow it finally didn’t pass the safety standards uh but no I’m just I’m just going through the script like Tom’s giving me a script so I can follow along trying to like listen to the plays in my helmet and say them back and then read it so you know for me the more times that I write it or read it or hear it the more it kind of sticks in again a lot of this stuff is stuff I’ve done before but there’s some new terms and new types of motion words and different stuff so I’m just I’m learning i’m going to go through the individual stuff i think that’s that’s what Mike wants me to do and I told Mike he wants me to practice I’ll practice but I think he said he just wants me to stick to the individual until I got the offense down they got to find a new helmet i hope so year since this uh fan base uh playoff win do you feel you’re that person that can help this team get over that hump we’re just we’re day one of mini camp for me so I’m just taking it one day at a time a lot’s been made about the ring on your left ring is that an aura ring or anything else that wedding ring yeah it’s a wedding ring congratulations thank you how long uh it’s been a couple months few more here few more we talked a lot about getting activated is there any tremendation over missing the OTAAS i’ll be here for OTAAS in that process now sweet two documentary questions all right about what uh about mentoring Jordan to do for him kind of what you didn’t have with Are you looking forward to doing the same thing with Will Howard here i am i am uh Will’s a good kid uh we’ve uh got to talk a little bit i thought he did really well today you know uh he’s he seems pretty bright uh not too big for him going through the progressions really well um but yeah I mean I’m going to be with him every single day in every single meeting uh found my seat next to him today in the offensive meeting i whether or not that sticks right next to Will Howard so I’m going to help him out as much as I can has he told he was three years old when you got drafted not yet but I’m sure he will how much freedom do you anticipate to audible to use your helmet experience kind of take over when you see fit i don’t understand that last term take over when I see fit i mean I’ve called some two minutes over the years um but the idea that somehow I I need to or have spent most of my career playing outside of an off offensive system is just not correct so um I’m going to learn the offense and Arthur and I are going to talk a bunch this summer and there’s if there’s things that I like that I’d like to see in the offense Arthur I’m sure is going to put it in but uh he knows how to call a game i know how to get us in the right spot based on what’s called there’s two or three plays called in the huddle sometimes my job is to get us in the right play all right thanks Aaron thanks

Newly signed QB Aaron Rodgers addresses the media after the first day of mandatory mini-camp

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