Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro cornerback Darius Slay is very bullish on the team’s signing of four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Slay won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles last season, so he knows what it takes to get to the top. He thinks Rodgers will put the Steelers in contention to compete with the league’s best teams.
“His arm strength’s still there,” Slay said on the Mina Kimes Show. “Of course, it’s not like he’s 20 [years old], but it’s still the fact that he can still get the ball to a position where the receiver can make a play on it. I think he’s a great addition because the fact that we got a younger guy that just got drafted from Ohio State, young guy, and he can really train him, help him get to where he’s at. And bringing [DK Metcalf] along so [Rodgers] don’t have to actually [go find a No. 1 receiver]. He got one that’s right there and that’s ready to go. It’s gonna be fun.”
At the age of 41, Rodgers is the oldest player in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean he can no longer sling it.
“He’s still throwing the s*** out of the ball, honestly,” a veteran NFL offensive coach said, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. “He’s the best quarterback they’ve had since (Ben Roethlisberger). We will see how the body holds up, but I think he’s going to help them immensely.”
An unnamed AFC executive also praised Rodgers’ arm strength
“Look, the mobility is an issue, there’s no doubt,” the exec said. “But where he helps them is with the plus arm strength and the field vision from the pocket. They haven’t had that. I’m not sure that will be enough, but the offense will be at least respectable.”
Slay also revealed in his interview with Kimes that he wants to not only help fix Joey Porter Jr.’s issues with penalties, but also improve his game in the interceptions department. Porter has only two INTs through his first two seasons.
“They say he can’t catch, but we’re gonna fix that,” Slay told Kimes. “We’re gonna catch the rock this year.”
Slay has recorded 28 interceptions in his decorated career. The 34-year-old cornerback is a Super Bowl champion, eight-time Pro Bowler and has a first-team All-Pro selection (2017) under his belt. Slay hopes to give Porter and the Steelers young cornerbacks he same wisdom that he passed down to Philadelphia Eagles rookie cornerbacks Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell last season during their Super Bowl title run.
“I have a good resume with younger guys, trying to help build them,” Slay said. “That’s my job. I’m just here to help him, do everything I can to make sure he succeeds at what he does. And try to get him to be one of the best in the game.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Darius Slay is Very Bullish on Steelers’ Signing of Aaron Rodgers: ‘His Arm Strength’s Still There’
