In A-Rodg I Trust
February 6th, 2011. Super Bowl XLV. Steelers vs. Packers. I’ll be honest with yinz…I think I trauma blocked this day. I don’t remember it at all. I know I watched the game and I know I was heartbroken, but that’s about it. I do know this: if you wanna see a Hall of Fame QB, in his prime and in his bag, look no further than Aaron Rodgers’ performance in this game. 304 yards and 3 touchdowns, including a beautiful 4th quarter one to Greg Jennings that surely sucked the well-being from my body.
On February 6th, 2011, I was 15 years old. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that at the age of 29, I’d be getting ready to watch Aaron Rodgers suit up in the black and gold and try for a seventh Super Bowl ‘ship for the Pittsburgh Steelers. 15-year-old me would be absolutely beside himself. - How the fuck is that guy still playing? You mean to tell me we still haven’t won that seventh Super Bowl? - It’d be a lot for me to unpack.
Yet, here we are, just three days removed from Aaron Rodgers’ first start as a Steelers. This summer, I’ve talked ad nauseam about what an Aaron-Rodgers-led offense could look like in Pittsburgh, and how that affects all the different skill-position guys. I’ve watched countless hours of film, because I wanted to truly understand what the Steelers were getting themselves into this year. I’ve accepted the possibility that this could get off to a rocky start, and I think I’ve properly set realistic expectations for my readers and for myself for this season.
If you’ve been following the Steelers with me on this platform over the last couple years, then you know how this shit goes. We’re a few days removed from the real thing. Now’s the time we can throw all that reasonable thinking and evaluating we did over the summer out the window and buy into what this team is selling us. And, what exactly are they selling us? The best defense in the league? Could be. A two-time Super Bowl winning Head Coach that has never had a losing season? He sure is. But, we have had some semblance of that for the last several years. We ain’t had no damn Aaron Rodgers though did we? We had Kenny Pickett. We had Mitchell Trubisky. We had Russell Wilson, who was really a one-trick pony at that juncture. And, no disrespect to those guys but Aaron Rodgers has probably forgotten more football than they’ll ever get the chance to know.
I’ve hardly been nice towards Aaron Rodgers at times this summer, and it felt warranted when I was doing it, but this guy has come in and been a consummate professional and has really made most of Steelers nation and the media eat their words, although it seems like we’ve just kinda forgotten about everything we said and moved on. I like everything I’ve seen this summer, and I’m choosing to buy in Today, September 4th, 2025, and here’s the biggest reason why: Aaron Rodgers will always have the Steelers offense in the right play. If nothing else, he’s the biggest brain we’ve had under center, maybe ever…you can take your pick between Ben, Terry, and Aaron. What has the Steelers biggest problem been on offense over the last, say, four years? I’ll save you a ton of time and just tell you: they’re never on schedule. Too often, 1st and 10 becomes 2nd and 12, then 3rd and 9, then punt. That 3rd down is a lot more manageable when your offense is on schedule and progressing the ball. When I think about what Aaron Rodgers does best at this stage of his career…what is it? Processing defenses and making quick reads post-snap? I’d say so, evidence being history and his ranking as having the 5th-quickest time to throw in 2024 (2.69 seconds). That is all he has to do for us…get the ball out quick, protect it, and keep us on schedule. I don’t care how old he is, he’s the greatest thrower of a football that has ever walked this planet. He can lead the Steelers to a middle-of-the-pack offense, which is lightyears better than we have been lately, and most importantly, I think is enough to win a playoff game.
Obviously, I’m ear to the ground, but I’m not at training camp, or in the locker room, or on the sideline, so in that regard, I can only speculate on a lot of things. With that being said, as an outsider looking in, this team looks bought in. The players and the coaching staff alike all seem to be moving with a confidence about them that I haven’t seen from this team in a long time. They’re in the building seeing what’s unfolding every single day, and a lot of those guys have won Super Bowls, and know what it looks like and what it takes. Their seemingly unwavering confidence is good enough for me. Let’s go capture number 7. Not in 2027, but right the fuck now.
In Aaron Rodgers I trust.
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