As the Pittsburgh Steelers get ready to open their season against the New York Jets on Sunday, there’s been a calmness vibe emanating from their starting quarterback. One who would have reasons to feel some extra motivation as he takes on his former team, who he’s publicly disagreed with this offseason.
Yet, Aaron Rodgers hasn’t had much to say about the Jets this week. Instead of looking for revenge, he seems to be more excited to start his Steelers tenure than anything else. Mike Florio thinks that’s fine, but he also believes he might not know what’s coming.
“He doesn’t want to talk about the Jets because he’s pissed at what the Jets did,” Florio said Thursday on Pro Football Talk. “He said it on McAfee’s show. They made him fly across the country, and they told him ‘We don’t want you’. And I don’t think he mentioned Aaron Glenn’s name. And you’re going back into that building, in that environment, and you haven’t played in the preseason. I don’t think he knows what he’s getting himself into. This is going to be very different.”
Florio refers to comments made by Rodgers before he signed with the Steelers. In April, Rodgers aired his disagreements with the way new Jets head coach Aaron Glenn handled his departure, having him fly across the country to let him know they were moving on from him.
However, there might not be as much hostility as some think. Speaking earlier this week, Glenn gave some praise to Aaron Rodgers. He also mentioned that Rodgers had a good relationship with the players in his building. The Jets fans, on the other hand, will likely be give Rodgers a piece of their collective mind throughout the game. However, there should be enough Steelers fans at MetLife Stadium to drown out some of that noise.
Whether the offense gets off to a good start or not is another story. It took the Steelers a while to get their run game going in the preseason. And the defense certainly got the better of the offense throughout training camp. Sunday also marks the first time the starting offense will be on the field together, so there may be some bumps in the road.
Aaron Rodgers certainly wants to start his new chapter with a victory over his old team. Yet, he’s not showing any extra intensity this week. Whether he’s truly ready to head back to MetLife, we’ll find out on Sunday.
