Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — As he ushered the Pittsburgh Steelers down the field late on Sunday night, the melody Aaron Rodgers said would be flowing through his head was appropriate.
“It was all a dream, saw it in my head, now it’s what I see,” mike. serenades in the opening verse of “Malibu Breeze,” the relaxed-vibe song and 23rd track on the lows.
A four-time Associated Press NFL MVP and future Pro Football Hall of Famer, Rodgers has become known for his knack to deliver when needed most. To cap a 6-play, 65-yard march with 55 seconds to go in the fourth quarter, Rodgers connected with Calvin Austin III down the left sideline for a 26-yard, go-ahead touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday night, helping the Steelers win 26-24.
Later, a video resurfaced of a fan asking Rodgers during a pre-mike. concert Q&A what song he’d be reciting in his head during an identical two-minute drill. The musician posted it to his Instagram account and called it a “wink from the universe.”
Following the victory, Steelers receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling praised the veteran signal-caller’s steadying presence.
“This is my fifth year playing with him, and there’s never (been) a time where I feel like we’re going to lose it,” said Valdes-Scantling, who also played with Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers from 2018-21. “With him running the show, saying ‘Hey, let’s go no-huddle, two-minute’ and calling the plays, he’s gonna make the right play, man. More times than not. I’ve been in a lot of game-winning drives with him, lot of big plays with him. That’s why he’s the best to ever do it.”
Before earning that sort of respect, Rodgers was a young fan who admired leaders who came through in pressure-filled situations, hoping to be in their shoes one day with his teammates fully trusting him.
“That’s what you want. When you’re a kid and you grow up and you watch your idols, for me it was the guys with the ball in their hand late in the game,” Rodgers said Thursday. “And it was Joe Montana and Steve Young, and Michael Jordan. The conversation around a lot of those guys was there’s an incredible belief that when it’s the last seconds and MJ’s got the ball in his hands, he’s gonna make it.
“(When) Joe’s making comments about John Candy up in the stands, everybody kinda has a belief they’re gonna go down and score. So when you grow up reading about that stuff and want to emulate your idols, you want to have that belief from your teammates that when we get the ball in that situation with 2:20 (left), there’s not a doubt in their mind we’re gonna go down and score.”
#Steelers WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling told me after the win over the Ravens that there hasn’t been a time where he feels like his team’s gonna lose with Aaron Rodgers at QB.
Here’s Rodgers’ answer to my question about that sort of praise....
