Russell Wilson’s lone year with the Pittsburgh Steelers was full of ups and downs. While he started off hot, Wilson cooled off down the stretch. That helped contribute to the Steelers going on an ugly losing streak. Reports indicated that there was friction between Wilson and Arthur Smith. There’s some speculation that the same thing could happen with Smith and Aaron Rodgers. However, beat writer Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette believes the Steelers will give Rodgers more freedom than Wilson had.
“What he does at the line of scrimmage to get his team into the best place possible is one of the reasons why he’s one of the best, say top-five, top-10 quarterbacks of all time,” Fittipaldo said recently on the Armstrong Neighborhood Channel. “If you’re the Steelers, and you’re Mike Tomlin and you’re Arthur Smith, why would you negate that?
“Why would you fight against that? I think they would want to take advantage of that and give Aaron some freedom. Let him be a leader in that huddle and let him call his own plays, if it comes to that.”
One of the reported issues between Wilson and Smith was that the quarterback wanted to have more freedom to change plays. However, that was allegedly not something Smith was on board with. As an accomplished veteran, it’s fair to wonder if Rodgers will also want that freedom.
However, it doesn’t seem like there’s any kind of power struggle between Rodgers and Smith. Multiple reports have indicated that the two of them are getting along great. While Rodgers doesn’t seem like a perfect fit for Smith’s offense, the offensive coordinator could make some adjustments to better fit the former MVP.
During that same appearance, Fittipaldo went more in-depth on what Wilson was allowed to do in the Steelers’ offense.
“Last year, with Russell Wilson, he would go to the line of scrimmage with maybe two plays. If one look didn’t present, he’d call the other play. He wasn’t able just to call, ‘We’re gonna call a pass play. We’re gonna do something totally different.’ He did not have that freedom. I think, with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, they’ll probably build some stuff in, so he does have some of that freedom.”
It probably would be wise for Rodgers to make changes sometimes. While he isn’t the same player physically, he’s still got a deep well of knowledge. After 20 years in the NFL, there isn’t much that Rodgers hasn’t seen. He can take advantage of certain defenses.
However, Rodgers has stated that he’s going to learn Smith’s offense. It doesn’t sound like he came in and demanded that everything change to accommodate him. He seems willing to do what Smith asks of him.
While there were rumblings earlier this offseason that Rodgers wanted to call his own plays, that doesn’t seem to be the case. That could always change, but it feels more likely that the Steelers’ offense this year will be a nice blend of what Smith and Rodgers like.
Smith was a good play-caller last year, so there shouldn’t be any issue allowing him to continue in that role. Perhaps that will help take some of the stress off Rodgers’ shoulders, too. Smith’s run-heavy scheme should help limit the wear and tear on Rodgers’ body this season. Maybe he won’t ask to change plays, either. He might be comfortable simply running Smith’s offense.
