Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith raved about quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ leadership on Thursday during his media availability. The narrative that Rodgers is a bad and selfish teammate has been completely unfound in Pittsburgh.
“He’s a terrific leader; there’s a lot of misconceptions at times,” Smith said. “That happens in this business. … But he’s one of the best leaders I’ve been around. He’s authentic.”
Smith specifically gave Rodgers credit for taking accountability on some of the sacks in Week 1. Rodgers also gave support to left tackle Broderick Jones, who had a rough outing against the Jets.
“I really like Brod. I’ve gotten to know him during training camp. I like what he’s about. I like his attitude. He’s a genuinely positive guy. I’ve got a lot of confidence in him watching my back.
“I don’t think I was moving that well. I think I ran, kind of, into at least one or two sacks. So I’ve gotta do a better job of using my legs. I might be old, but I still feel like I can move around pretty good and I wasn’t moving the way I usually like to move.
“I thought the protection was pretty good for most of the game. There’s a couple fundamental things to clean up. Pat [Meyer]’s gonna take care of those guys. I’ve just gotta get the ball out.”
Rodgers revealed during training camp that he has an open door policy with his teammates.
“It’s not all X’s and O’s,” Rodgers said. “It’s storytelling from time to time, but [Smith’s] not a rigid guy at all. Any ideas I have or the receivers have, he really appreciates it. We’ve installed stuff I’ve looked at or other guys have had similar ideas. I have an open forum in my room. Anytime you want to come in and suggest something, let me know and I’ll take it right to Art. I’ve just really enjoyed him as a person a lot and the way he leads in front of a room. It’s been a lot of fun so far.”
Rodgers wants a constant flow of communication. He wants nothing unsaid.
“I think that’s an important part of it,” Rodgers said. “There’s no dictatorship here. We want to talk about all the issues, whether it’s in a text message or coming into my room. I don’t want anything to be left unsaid. It’s been a good process for us.”
Rodgers had an eye-opening Steelers debut with four touchdown passes in Sunday’s 34-32 win over the New York Jets. Rodgers, who has struggled in Week 1 games in recent years, showcased that the old gunslinger still has plenty of juice left.
To say the least, it was the best performance by a Steelers quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired followed the 2021 season. Overall, Rodgers completed 22 of 30 passes (73.3%) for 244 yards with four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 136.7.
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