Steelers Now
Back in March, Brandin Echols praised his then former teammate Aaron Rodgers. He went as far as to indicate helping recruit the quarterback.
**PITTSBURGH–**When the Pittsburgh Steelers heard Aaron Rodgers was joining them, it concluded the long-drawn saga. Rodgers will not only face his former teams this season, but he has also reunited with his teammate Brandin Echols. Earlier this offseason, Echols expressed his desire to recruit the four-time MVP.
Echols’ opening press conference took place in March, shortly after the free agency period began. With questions at quarterback, the cornerback was asked about recruiting Rodgers to Pittsburgh. Without hesitation, the cornerback said,
“Hell yeah … Tell his ass to come on.”
Reporters had the opportunity to ask about his experience with then-soon-to-be-free agent Rodgers.
“It was cool, man,” Echols said when asked about having the former Jets passer as a teammate. “I couldn’t really feel him out. But after a while, we kind of gravitated towards each other.”
Though they played on opposite sides of the football, their connection grew on and off the field. Rodgers often challenged Echols in practice. “In [practice], he started trying to attack me. But it was for the betterment of me. And I will say having him around, it did make me a better football player.”
Rodgers has often been considered a polarizing personality. Echols dismissed this and shared a personal anecdote in the locker room.
“He started, pushing his way towards it and making jokes, poking [fun] at me and stuff. Then, after a while, we just started talking. I used to have a little hairdo thing that I used to do,” He began telling reporters.
“He would look at me like, ‘Oh, if his hair is on the right side, he’s mad. If it’s on the left side, he’s happy. If it’s in the middle, you don’t know what you might get.’” Echols told reporters with a smile.
The former Super Bowl MVP took nearly three months to join Pittsburgh. There are questions about how effective Rodgers will be at 42 years old. One thing is for sure: his former teammate and recruiter is surely excited to have him. The locker room should gravitate towards their quarterback.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Aaron Rodgers Already Has One Big Supporter on the Steelers
