Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers gets rid of the ball faster than any other quarterback in the NFL. His average time to throw this season is 2.52 seconds, according to Next Gen Stats.
Getting the ball out quick on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns’ vaunted defense will be imperative, especially with All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett coming off the edge.
“Myles is a Hall of a Famer,” Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said on Wednesday. “He might not be in yet, but that’s where he’s going. He’s one of the few players in the league over my 21 years you game plan for. If you watch the film, every team has a plan. There have been a few guys over the years like that. We have one, as well.
“When we played the Steelers last year, our plan was to get four hands on T.J. Watt every single play and not let him dominate the game. His brother was the same way when we played J.J. With interior guys, it’s sometimes a little harder, with guys like Aaron Donald and J.J. But Myles is a special talent. Has been since his first year in the league. He’s a game wrecker.”
Broderick Jones will have the daunting task of blocking Garrett on Sunday. Garrett had four sacks against the Steelers last year, three of which came in the Browns’ 24-19 win over Pittsburgh in Week 12. Like T.J. Watt, Garrett also has over 100 career sacks.
“He’s just an amazing player all around,” Jones said on Wednesday. “He plays the run. He plays the pass. He’s just a freak of nature. You have to do everything you can to slow him down and try to keep a lid on him.
“I just have to come in with the right mindset. I feel like that’s 90% of the battle, not getting in your own head before it’s time and going out there and playing your game.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said during his weekly Tuesday press conference that Jones knows what he’s up against on Sunday.
“I don’t know that it requires conversation,” Tomlin said. “I think that Broderick is not a dummy. He realizes who he’s competing against this week. And he’s a competitor and a professional. And so I haven’t spent any time thinking about how I’m going to talk to or motivate Broderick this week.”
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers Calls Myles Garrett ‘Hall of Famer’
