By acquiring Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay, the Steelers sought to add talent paired with winning culture. Both Pro Bowl cornerbacks carry with them Super Bowl rings, and the Steelers want another one for themselves.
As do the seasoned veterans they brought in, and Ramsey recently talked about what he sees in this Steelers team and what he saw in his Los Angeles Rams team that hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in 2021. Specifically as it relates to Aaron Rodgers and the impact Matthew Stafford has in Los Angeles as the focal point.
“The confidence that he brings that whole offense, like, everybody around him wants to be great”, Ramsey said of Rodgers, during an appearance on The Pivot podcast with former Steelers DB Ryan Clark. “It’s kind of like, nobody wants to let him down. The best teams that I’ve been on, that’s been how the whole team it. When I was in LA, I didn’t want to let [Aaron Donald] down. Other guys on the team felt the same way”.
Ramsey also mentioned Von Miller, Odell Beckham Jr., Cooper Kupp, and Andrew Whitworth as other Rams veterans around whom their teammates gravitated and played for. The Steelers also have a similar nucleus with Rodgers, T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, DK Metcalf, and Ramsey himself.
But pride of place always goes to the quarterback position, especially when you bring in a veteran. The Steelers have done that with Rodgers, and the Rams with Stafford. “On the offensive side, our receivers did not want to let Matthew down. They wanted to prove that he could be that piece and do it”, Ramsey said.
Rodgers, of course, he already has a Super Bowl ring, whereas Stafford won his first when Ramsey did. But that was 15 years ago, well before almost anybody currently on the Steelers entered the league. And Rodgers’ teammates are energized to win for him. “Man, the linemen be pissed off if he’s getting touched”, Ramsey said.
Ramsey also said the running backs want to open up the passing game for Rodgers, and the receivers don’t want to put all the burden on Metcalf. “I think that’s a big, important key in bringing all of it together”.
“That’s the type of team we got”, Ramsey insisted. “We’re gonna line it up. We don’t think about it that way. Cool, I’m glad that we look good on paper, we look good in Madden. But we going, we grinding to look good in real life, too”.
Of course, we don’t know how this is going to play out. Aaron Rodgers and Jalen Ramsey are not the same players they were when they won their Super Bowls, for starters. The Steelers have certainly built an interesting team, but is this a Super Bowl team? Even if there are similarities to the Rams, even Rodgers knows there are several teams in any given year that could win it all. There’s some luck involved in all this, as well, and not just health.
