The Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-1, and QB Aaron Rodgers has given them a lift in the passing game. Rodgers has been clinical in the red zone, and his eight passing touchdowns through four games are the most the Steelers have had through four games since 2010. Former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley recently sat down with Kyle Odegard of gamblingindustrynews.com and talked about what he’s seen out of Rodgers.
“He looks comfortable under center. He obviously knows how to lead an offense. He’s so tremendous with cadence. He changes the plays when needed. He’s still a brilliant guy playing quarterback. He can still throw it, and there are going to be more limitations from a movement standpoint – he’s 40-something years old – but we saw Tom Brady handle it, and he never ran. It’s a great marriage there. It appears he and Arthur Smith are working together well, which I didn’t have a doubt that’s how it would go.”
Even before Rodgers signed with the Steelers, Haley was on record saying that he could help make them contenders. It’s still early, but Haley so far looks like he’s being proven right.
He also said that Rodgers would be a good fit for a team with an offensive coordinator he thinks does a great job in Smith, and while there were some concerns about how the power dynamics would work between Rodgers and Smith, it seems like it’s been smooth sailing so far.
Rodgers isn’t playing at an MVP level, but he’s doing his job for the Steelers. He’s making the throws he needs to for them to win games, and while those might not be coming in the form of deep balls, he’s getting the ball out quick and helping them move the ball. The Steelers’ 3-1 record is good for the third seed in the AFC right now, and Rodgers and the Steelers have a chance to keep things rolling with two divisional games in the next two weeks following their Week 5 bye.
Even though Rodgers isn’t going to make anybody fear his legs, since Week 1, he has shown some escapability and mobility. He’s a 41-year old quarterback so there’s only so much that can be expected, but his mobility hasn’t been a total liability. As Haley notes, his ability to quickly change plays and use his cadence to his advantage has been a plus for the Steelers, and having a quarterback with his football IQ can only help the Steelers as the season wears on.
Haley’s worked with plenty of talented quarterbacks – Ben Roethlisberger and Patrick Mahomes to name a few – and he’s still seeing high-level play out of Rodgers. If that continues, the Steelers could cement themselves as a legitimate threat in the AFC.
