Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — If he plays on Sunday, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be facing a familiar foe in the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. It’s a venue that Rodgers has had incredible success in from his days as the Green Bay Packers’ signal-caller. He’s 26-5 overall against the Bears and 12- 3 at Solider Field.
Despite facing a former rival, it won’t add more motivation for the future Hall of Famer.
“There’s incentive for every opponent, but I have enjoyed many a Sunday and Monday, and — has there been any Thursdays? — in that city. It’s a great sports town full of sports fans and a great place to play,” Rodgers said.
It will be an electric atmosphere at Soldier Field on Sunday with Rodgers potentially returning. The Bears faithful certainly has no love for Rodgers after he tormented Chicago for nearly two decades.
Rodgers hopes he’s no longer a villain in the Windy City anymore. it’s a city that he has great respect for, dating back to when he was a kid.
“I’d rather not be. I’m not in Green Bay anymore. I feel like we can let bygones be bygones, maybe. I can, I guess,” Rodgers said. “It’s a great rivalry. In the history of all sports, you talk about the Lakers and the Celtics, the Red Sox and the Yankees, you’ve gotta talk about the Packers and the Bears, and there’s been some great memories there. When I first got to Green Bay, the Bears had the all-time series lead. I left, Packers did. Since J Love has taken over, it’s even gotten better. I hope those fans can put that behind them — I’m sure they can’t. I don’t expect them to — but I really enjoy the city. They’ve got great sports fans. I grew up watching WGN on my five-channel TV back in the day, so I was a Cubs fan and a Bulls fan. How can you not be a Bulls fan unless you don’t like Michael Jordan? I did. I loved him. So it was a lot of fun memories over the years playing there.”
During his media availability on Wednesday, Rodgers (left wrist) outlined his recovery plan to play on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. As expected, Rodgers did not practice on Wednesday.
“A lot of rehab. Just thankful to get today, to work with Gabe [Amponsah] and just focus on rehab for a day. We’ll try to get back on the field tomorrow and see what I can do,” Rodgers said.
When asked if he would wear a brace on his fractured left wrist, Rodgers replied, “We’re working through that.”
Tolerance of the pain won’t be an issue for Rodgers, it’s more about how he’ll protect himself.
“It’d be a safety thing. … Gotta get the OK and gotta feel like I can protect myself,” the four-time NFL MVP said.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: [Aaron Rodgers Has Fond Memories...
