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The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t need Aaron Rodgers to be vintage Aaron Rodgers every week. They just need him to be steady, smart, and dangerous enough late in games to give them a chance when everything tightens up.
But Rodgers’ career has always been tied to efficiency. He protects possessions and doesn’t hand the ball away. He does his best to avoid the ugly mistake that becomes the morning-after debate on every sports show. For most quarterbacks, that’s a strength. For Rodgers, though, it’s been part of his identity.
One recent discussion framed it through a quarterback aggression study from PFF’s Kevin Cole in 2022. The best quarterbacks know when the situation demands more risk. When they’re leading, they’re careful, but when they’re trailing, they push.
That’s where Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were used as examples.
“When they’re down, they’re perfectly aggressive, right? And it’s like they know when to take chances,” said NFL analyst Steve Palazzolo on the "Check The Mic" podcast.
Rodgers apparently didn’t fit that mold.
“You look at Rogers in comeback situations, Browns game last year and various... through his career, he hasn’t been great in comeback situations,” the quote continued.
While Rodgers ranks among the top five in career passing yards and passing touchdowns, he’s only had 25 comeback wins (tied with Andy Dalton).
During the Mike Tomlin era, Pittsburgh’s formula wasn’t built for weekly blowouts. This team is going to play close games, especially in the AFC North, where ugly fourth quarters are part of the competition.
If Rodgers is down six with three minutes left, the Steelers can’t have a quarterback whose first instinct is simply to avoid interceptions.
Rodgers misses two critical marks. “In his curve, he didn’t have the tick up and aggressive,” said Palazzolo, citing Cole's study. “It was almost like [Rodgers was] like, No, I’m not throwing a pick.”
It sounds responsible -- until the game situation says otherwise.
“The game’s over; incompletion is the same as a pick if it’s on 4th down,” Palazzolo added.
That’s the question about Rodgers, especially as he heads into the final season of his 22-year career. It's not about whether he can still make throws, but whether he’ll take the throw when the game situation calls for it.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Aaron Rodgers comeback flaw creates obvious Steelers worry
Continue reading...
But Rodgers’ career has always been tied to efficiency. He protects possessions and doesn’t hand the ball away. He does his best to avoid the ugly mistake that becomes the morning-after debate on every sports show. For most quarterbacks, that’s a strength. For Rodgers, though, it’s been part of his identity.
One recent discussion framed it through a quarterback aggression study from PFF’s Kevin Cole in 2022. The best quarterbacks know when the situation demands more risk. When they’re leading, they’re careful, but when they’re trailing, they push.
That’s where Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were used as examples.
“When they’re down, they’re perfectly aggressive, right? And it’s like they know when to take chances,” said NFL analyst Steve Palazzolo on the "Check The Mic" podcast.
Rodgers apparently didn’t fit that mold.
“You look at Rogers in comeback situations, Browns game last year and various... through his career, he hasn’t been great in comeback situations,” the quote continued.
While Rodgers ranks among the top five in career passing yards and passing touchdowns, he’s only had 25 comeback wins (tied with Andy Dalton).
During the Mike Tomlin era, Pittsburgh’s formula wasn’t built for weekly blowouts. This team is going to play close games, especially in the AFC North, where ugly fourth quarters are part of the competition.
If Rodgers is down six with three minutes left, the Steelers can’t have a quarterback whose first instinct is simply to avoid interceptions.
Rodgers misses two critical marks. “In his curve, he didn’t have the tick up and aggressive,” said Palazzolo, citing Cole's study. “It was almost like [Rodgers was] like, No, I’m not throwing a pick.”
It sounds responsible -- until the game situation says otherwise.
“The game’s over; incompletion is the same as a pick if it’s on 4th down,” Palazzolo added.
That’s the question about Rodgers, especially as he heads into the final season of his 22-year career. It's not about whether he can still make throws, but whether he’ll take the throw when the game situation calls for it.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Aaron Rodgers comeback flaw creates obvious Steelers worry
Continue reading...
