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Brooke Pryor
LATROBE, Pa. — Quarterback Aaron Rodgers accomplished his first cross in his first staff interval Thursday afternoon on the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ opening coaching camp follow.
The one downside? It wasn’t to considered one of his offensive talent place gamers.
As a substitute, linebacker Patrick Queen picked off the opening throw from the four-time MVP, prompting loud “Ooos” from the gang of a few thousand at St. Vincent Faculty.
However to Rodgers, the interception wasn’t a foul omen for his Steelers’ tenure.
“It is good to get that out the best way,” Rodgers mentioned. “Anyone that is watched me follow over time, you prefer to attempt sure throws at sure instances, and anyone that is watched me within the video games is aware of I have been fairly stellar taking good care of the soccer over time.
“It is going to be problem for me throwing on this warmth each single day. I look ahead to it, however I will throw some picks, however I will throw some touchdowns, too.”
Rodgers did not throw any touchdowns in Thursday’s 90-minute follow, however he accomplished team-period passes to broad receiver Scotty Miller, tight finish Darnell Washington and broad receiver DK Metcalf.
Rodgers had one completion to Metcalf on three targets in staff durations, however the quarterback wasn’t involved concerning the pair’s connection.
“DK and I’ve labored out within the offseason collectively, acquired relationship,” Rodgers mentioned. “We talked about loads of soccer stuff. We FaceTime, we texted in the course of the offseason after many camps, so we have relationship. It is going to simply carry on rising.”
It is going to additionally continue to grow within the dorms at St. Vincent Faculty, the place they’re suitemates, because of a Mike Tomlin-assigned association.
“I used to be secretly hoping it wasn’t a giant lineman or one thing,” Rodgers mentioned with a sly grin. “Perhaps any individual had cared about their hygiene slightly bit. So, after I walked in I noticed an ordinary suitcase. I mentioned, ‘Oh, I feel it is going to be good. That is most likely DK.'”
Like Rodgers, Metcalf was stunned they had been dwelling so shut to one another.
“He knocked on my door, and I assumed it was the entrance door, and it was truly my lavatory door,” Metcalf mentioned. “He was like, ‘Oh man, I hoped it was you.’ I used to be like, ‘I didn’t assume I used to be going to have a roommate, however glad to see you, too.’
“It was expertise simply to see his face and understanding that we might proceed conversations exterior the assembly room.”
Rodgers is not a stranger to staying in dorms on a university campus for coaching camp after spending 14 seasons at St. Norbert Faculty for the Inexperienced Bay Packers‘ camp. And although Rodgers is a larger-than-life persona along with his soccer résumé and popular culture presence, Tomlin mentioned that he wasn’t anxious about Rodgers becoming into the Steelers’ tradition.
“When in Rome, he’ll be Roman, and it is our job to show him how we do issues,” Tomlin mentioned after Thursday’s follow. “However not solely him, guys like Jalen Ramsey and others, man, we acquired loads of new vital gamers. As a coach, I embrace that problem of teaching them not solely concerning the issues that we worth however how we go about our enterprise right here. They’ve all been actually receptive to it.”
The Steelers’ approach of doing enterprise shifted this offseason because the staff went all-in to overtake the roster and usher in quite a few high-profile acquisitions, together with Rodgers, Metcalf and Ramsey. Normal supervisor Omar Khan mentioned Wednesday that he was constructing a staff to win the Tremendous Bowl. A day later, Rodgers expressed his confidence within the staff Khan assembled.
“I feel many of the 32 groups would most likely say one thing to that accord right now of the yr, however I feel that there is actually solely six to eight that basically have a official probability,” Rodgers mentioned. “Generally, it is 10 to 12 and there is groups that shock you, however I’d say on paper, we’re most likely a kind of 10 to 12.”
And, he added, turning a paper championship into an actual Lombardi Trophy begins with coaching camp.
“It is coming collectively, instances like this with these 17 or so practices that we’ve got right here and discovering the chemistry and hanging out with one another … rising collectively by means of our follow,” he mentioned. “Mike needs to follow on the hottest time of the day, which is fascinating, however I adore it simply because it is a stressor. We see how guys reply to adversity.”
