Consider Stephen A. Smith a big fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly signing Aaron Rodgers. One of the most vocal critics of the team’s ugly quarterback situation over the years, Smith believes Rodgers offers the best direction the offense has had in some time.
Offering his take while on-scene for Game 1 of tonight’s NBA Finals, Smith couldn’t hide his excitement.
“I feel great,” he said Thursday on SportsCenter, hours after the news was shared. “I feel great.”
Smith panned decisions of Steelers’ past. Switching from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson. Keeping Matt Canada. Even questioning Mike Tomlin’s future with the team. Like many Steelers fans, Smith’s frustration over the team’s repeated seasons of nine wins and a Wild Card loss boiled over. With Rodgers in the mix, Smith thinks Pittsburgh can get over the hump.
“They haven’t won a a playoff game since 2016,” he said. “And then in the offseason, Justin Fields goes to one squad in New York. Russell Wilson goes to the other squad in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Steelers were stuck with Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. Nah, that’s not what we needed.”
Pittsburgh’s eight-straight seasons without a playoff win is the team’s longest drought since the 1970 merger. The Rodgers addition is no guarantee of snapping that streak, but he undoubtedly offers a better chance than the quarterbacks currently on the team’s roster. Competent backup he might be, Rudolph was unlikely to work over a 17-game season. Now, Rudolph will slide in as the No. 2 with rookie Will Howard the likely third-stringer.
Still, it remains to be seen if Smith feels this confident throughout the season. Rodgers is 41 and has his warts. When things go bad, they tend to go really bad around him and he’ll be the first to point out everyone else’s issues. Pittsburgh’s season won’t be a dominant one from start to finish and there will be growing pains along the way. For Smith, the important bar Rodgers cleared is simply not being any of the other options.
“He ain’t any of the dudes that I mentioned,” Smith said. “There’s an upside. He’s playing with house money. I am very happy for Aaron Rodgers to be in the city of Pittsburgh. Aaron Rodgers, you heard it from your boy, Stephen A. You are a baaaaad man. No matter what they tell you. You still got a little something left and it’s gonna be better than anything that we’ve seen in recent memory from the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
Pittsburgh has gotten used to a change in quarterbacks. Rodgers will be the fifth different Week 1 starter the Steelers have rolled out in five-straight years. Since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, the team has started five different quarterbacks: Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields, and Russell Wilson. Of that motley crew, Smith is the most excited over Rodgers. Come January, that take will either look really smart or land him on Freezing Cold Takes.
