Throughout the three weeks of training camp practices at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, going against 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers was very challenging for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense.
While the defense had plenty of success and largely dominated for long stretches of camp, the way Rodgers is able to manipulate things at the line of scrimmage and then fire off no-look passes into spots defenders aren’t expecting really pushed the defense to be better.
Star defenders T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward spoke about the challenges Rodgers offers at the line of scrimmage during training camp. Patrick Queen addressed that too on the latest episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward along with Rodgers’ no-look passes.
“It’s different, bro. High, high-IQ guy. The no-looks are starting to piss me off a little bit, but he’s just smart,” Queen said of practicing against Rodgers, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “He’s calling out our plays. He’s talking about our plays as he’s doing the play calls for the o-line, for the receivers. It’s just a whole bunch of stuff that goes on, but you definitely get a good look. He’s gonna test your drops, he gonna test your man coverage.
“He’s got a high IQ, so being able to go against that, I think it’s gonna pay off for us.”
Iron sharpens iron, and that’s exactly what happened during the three weeks at training camp.
The Steelers believe Rodgers can still play at a high level, which is why they were willing to wait for a few months before he ultimately signed. They believe he remains a master at the line of scrimmage, able to manipulate defenders, get the offense into good looks, and make the right plays after the snap.
What made Rodgers most challenging was the way he manipulated the play clock, taking as much time as possible to get one last final look at defenders and trying to force them to move, giving him answers before the snap. It challenged the likes of Watt and Heyward and had them frustrated.
Queen felt the same throughout camp. The great thing is that the Steelers’ defense got a good, long look at it during training camp, and learned to adjust to it. So, when the season starts and they face quarterbacks that might not be as smart or as capable as Rodgers both pre- and post-snap, they’ll be in good shape to defend and have success.
Check out the full episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward below.
