Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is well-known to call out teammates publicly. That was the case last season when he threw Mike Williams under the bus. He called out Williams for running the wrong route — as he should’ve ran the “red line.”
Former NFL defensive end and two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long expects some commotion this season between Rodgers and All-Pro wide receiver DK Metcalf.
“When he was in New York — and I’m not taking a shot, but I don’t love seeing stuff that should be worked out in the locker room, worked out on podcast,” Long said on The Rich Eisen Show. “Metcalf has not always been the most surgical route runner. You talk about if we end up in a situation where somebody’s not on the right side of the ‘red line’, famously, infamously, I could see some stuff like that happening — and the growing pains being tough.”
Metcalf is chomping at the bit to learn from the four-time NFL MVP quarterback.
“Just how cerebral he is and how he views the game,” Metcalf said at minicamp last week. “I like the way he views the game from a receiver’s standpoint, but also from a quarterback’s standpoint. I think I can gain a lot of knowledge just from being around him because he’s seen a lot of football. Just trying to soak up as much information as I can.”
DK Metcalf believes Rodgers’ skillset fits his game perfectly.
“How quickly he releases the ball and me getting off the line of scrimmage fast is one thing that stands out first,” he said.
Metcalf said Rodgers has already played trivia with him, basically naming players and asking where they went to college. The two have formed a close bond since their throwing session with each other at UCLA in March.
Rodgers raved about Metcalf during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show in April.
“I’ve had a few conversations with DK and I just think he’s a super guy,” Rodgers said. “… I wanted to see how it felt to throw with DK, how the juices felt, and how the ball came out, just all those little things. And also just get to know DK. Like I said, that’s a really good human being. From the first conversation I had with them, he was saying ‘yes sir’ and ‘no sir.’ Just cause I’m old? No, that’s just how he talks. He’s just a really respectful dude and an absolute specimen. He’s accomplished a lot in the league, and I’m enjoyed getting to know him a little bit, enjoyed throwing to him. What a talented guy he is.”
Metcalf plans on training with Rodgers in Malibu prior to the start of training camp in late July.
“Yes, sir. We’re both based out of California, so yeah,” Metcalf said. “I planned on getting together with him before, just watching film or just talking ball.”
Rodgers and Metcalf are at the honeymoon phase now, but that could change...
