Aaron Rodgers Media Availability (Sept. 3) | Pittsburgh Steelers

Aaron Rodgers Media Availability (Sept. 3) | Pittsburgh Steelers

Aaron, is there anything more for you opening up against the Jets at all or is this just like another regular season game? Yeah, it’s week one. What kind of handle do you think you have on this offense given that you didn’t play much in the preseason? I think I got a pretty good handle on it. Yeah, I think uh spent a lot of time studying in the Trobe and here and feel good about uh finishing art sentences when he starts to call plays. You’re eager to execute this in a game situation. Are you eager to execute the offense in a game situation? I mean, I’ve been playing 20 years, so I know how to execute in the game situation. Obviously, it’s a different staff in New York, but is there a familiarity with the defense that can help you with game prep this week? I mean, I know some of the guys know some of the guys. to obviously the Williams brothers and Sauce and TA and Damian, uh, Michael Carter, Debo, Michael Clemens, uh, my buddy Germaine’s coming back from his Achilles. Don’t want to forget anybody. Who else do we got over there? I mean, the young guys, uh, McGregor and that’s my man from Miami. Had a nice preseason 98. Am I sorry about that, my brother? Um, oh, Marcelino, McCory Ball, Love Leno. Uh, so yeah, I know I know the guys pretty well, but they’re they run a little little different scheme. How much are you keeping in touch with them or have you kept in touch with them or anybody else in the organization? I’m not going to tell you that. Whatever vision, whatever hope you had in your head about what the Steelers are going to look like to open the season, you decided to come on board here. How close to it are you? How you feeling about reaching it time here? What are you talking about? because that’s kind of a vague uh question. I’m just talking about in terms of the sense that you’re getting in the locker room that the reason you decided to keep playing and play one more year in Pittsburgh. Um how close do you guys are to attaining that to start the season? Well, I’m happy I’m here. Very happy. Uh really enjoy the guys. Really enjoying uh you know, my little corner over here and then my quarterback room and then the big room with the offense. getting to know those guys and uh being a you know a conscious observer out of practice and taking everything in and uh really enjoying Mike Tomlin’s press conferences. Really enjoying not press conf sorry his team meetings and his press conferences too I’m guessing Burke tells me about him from time to time. Uh no I’m enjoying everything uh Pittsburgh related and excited about the season to start. Erin, what excites you about this offense? What do you like about what this what this offense can do? Well, there’s so many different guys that can that can uh do a lot of different things. You know, there’s there’s little guys who can run around and and make plays inside and outside. You got four very capable tight ends. You got three very capable backs. Uh you got a really really freaking smart center um who loves to correct me. And uh his backup uh loves to correct the quarterbacks even more. He usually goes after Mason, but uh but Ryan definitely uh you know, it’s it’s some smart players right down the middle of the of the offense. And that’s what uh you know, all the West Coast coaches used to always talk about, you know, having smart center uh smart quarterback then having a fullback like a Tom Wrathman and uh so, you know, I think we got the the right guys down the middle and um a lot of guys who can who can do a lot of unique things. Pittsburg bridges. What’s the bridge that you’re going to be taking for your home game? And what’s that going to be like coming down that bridge for your home game? Uh I’d have to check the map. I’m not exactly sure. But one of them I’m on the uh what’s it called? The hot metal bridge every single day. Uh hasn’t been any traffic on it yet. So that’s been nice. That’s a nice change from uh from my last spot. Uh, but I’m enjoying I’m enjoying everything Pittsburgh and really enjoying the guys. Traditionally, do you have to keep it a little more simple in week one, week two, week three, or do you expect to come out and have kind of everything? I mean, there’s always unscouted looks over the years. Different analytics people have said it’s in the 30 to 40% as far as unscouted things that obviously they’ve held a number of things, I’m sure, in the preseason. We’ve held a number of things that we haven’t run on offense and defense. So, uh there’ll be a lot of unscouted looks and uh that’ll be perhaps the deciding factor in the game is who handles the unscotted looks the best. Aaron Pat talked about uh how excited he was to work the middle of the field with you. Something you had a lot of opportunities to do. What excites you about this group as far as attacking the middle of the field with the personnel that you have available? I think it’s it’s the best tight end room that I’ve been around in 21 years. uh because you have four extremely capable guys and we had different runs in Green Bay where we had uh you know some great players but just the depth that we have here with four guys who you feel great about having on the field at any time. Um and they all have different uh skill set they bring to the table. Um and I can’t even say who’s the most impressive maybe the biggest guy in the room because of how many things he can do down the field in the passing game. Uh, you know, there was a lot of conversation about is he in the right position? Um, the other day we had a practice uh during that week before the four days off and I threw him a bunch of balls in the red zone and I was just thinking to myself, he’s definitely in the right position. Um, because he’s so big and so athletic for a man of that size uh to be that uh skilled in the passing game is pretty impressive. Not to mention what he does on the line of scrimmage. Four is like a tight end. Are there week one jitters for you even at this point? Uh not on Wednesday. No. I don’t know. I mean, we’ll see. Uh it just depends. Uh I mean, obviously, if you you have to have something otherwise I mean, I’ll speak for myself. I have to have something otherwise I don’t you know, I’m probably in the wrong profession. Uh, so I’m I’ll be definitely excited come Sunday, but Wednesday just kind of going through the the week of week of preparation. After 18 years in Green Bay, you tried something new in New York. This is new here in Pittsburgh. How do you like new after 18 years in one place? Well, this is the second new, so it’s the new new. Uh, I’m loving loving being here. Um, the way that I’ve uh been welcomed has been really really special from top down to the fans to guys in locker room and sport staff, the men and women that work for this organization. It’s been really really special. Um, there’s a lot of really cool people that make this thing go and that’s I’m always drawn to who those different people are in a in a facility like this in a in a business like this. There’s the uh obviously the outward facing people who are so important, the Mike Tomlins of the world, the Omars, but there’s the the Dys of the world uh who who make this thing go who have been really fun to get to know um the guys in the training room, the guys in the men and women in the training room, the the gents in the equipment room, you know, I’ve enjoyed getting those guys because those guys usually have some good stories, too. Does starting over get easier the second time around that with the new new I mean, it’s all a frame of mind. It’s all perspective. Two more here. What’ll be the emotion for you walking into Metife on Sunday? I just be excited for week one. Comparatively, how do you feel? Compared to what? Compared to the last four or five years? Oh, I feel good. Yeah, I feel good. I feel real good. Um, you know, I got a lot of a lot of great people I work with uh in my off time and uh you know, had three days with uh with my bodywork guy out west and feeling really

Aaron Rodgers spoke to the media on Wednesday, September 3 ahead of the Steelers Week 1 game against the New York Jets

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