The obvious hope with Aaron Rodgers is that he can help the Pittsburgh Steelers offense take the next step. But perhaps he can provide a similar boost to a defense that has high hopes of being the league\u2019s very best.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe good on good work is an obvious thing,\u201d Mike Tomlin said of Rodgers versus the defense via Movin\u2019 the Chains on SiriusXM NFL Radio<\/a> with Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller. \u201cBut there\u2019s so many subtle benefits that you really don\u2019t talk or think about the way he\u2019s challenging them pre-snap. There\u2019s snap readiness, like his ability to work cadence and change pace. Sometimes he\u2019s first-sounding them not giving them an opportunity to communicate. Sometimes he\u2019s hard-counting them, double-counting them, triple-counting them.<\/p>\n \u201cHis ability to work the line of scrimmage through cadence and changes of pace is really good training for defense.\u201d<\/p>\n Helping the pass rushers and defensive linemen prepare for different arm angles and a quick release is one thing, but stressing communication for the entire defense is hard to simulate without a quarterback like Rodgers. He\u2019s known for his cadence and his ability to catch defenses off guard in the middle of substitutions.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the same thing that led to his viral moment where Tomlin beat him to the punch with a timeout as he rushed to force a penalty on the Steelers defense.<\/p>\n