‘I Don’t Wanna Hear People Talking About (It)’ — Aaron Rodgers Has Zero Tolerance for Critics of Steelers’ Unimposing Offense After Week 1
· Yahoo Sports
The Pittsburgh Steelers had a winning start to their season, but it wasn’t a dominant performance by any means. Pittsburgh wrapped up a 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, but the scoreboard masked an offense that struggled to fire on all cylinders.
The Steelers’ defense carried the load, while the offense, currently ranked second-to-last in PFN’s NFL Offense Impact Ratings, sputtered for long stretches. Jaylen Warren fumbled in a costly spot. Drives stalled. The run game barely got going.
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Aaron Rodgers, however, sees no reason to press the panic button.
Aaron Rodgers Pushes Back on Concerns About Steelers’ Offensive Balance
There was plenty of optimism when Mike McCarthy arrived in Pittsburgh. The veteran play-caller had a long track record of building offenses that worked, while the Steelers were coming off years of underwhelming production. After one game, though, the results have left plenty of questions.
That said, Rodgers brushed aside concerns about the offense’s lack of balance between the run and the pass. “The consistency and the balance stuff is all for, you know, talking head fodder,” Rodgers said. “I’m not worried about the balance. Balance comes naturally.”
The formula, in his mind, is simple: Score early, grab a lead, and let the run game take over. Stay out of three-and-outs, and the opportunities will follow.
“If you don’t have five three-and-outs, you get more run opportunities too,” he explained. That’s why he doesn’t see the value in chasing an arbitrary rushing number.
Rodgers threw the ball 40 times against Atlanta, completing 24 for 221 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, the ground game cratered.
Warren led Pittsburgh’s rushers with just 46 yards on 10 carries. Rico Dowdle managed only 15 yards on eight attempts. The offensive line struggled to open any lanes, and the Steelers finished under three yards per carry, a rough mark by any standard.
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Rodgers wasn’t just dismissive about balance, either. He made it clear he has no interest in discussing target distribution among his receivers. “I don’t give a (expletive) about the target list,” the quarterback said bluntly. “I don’t care about any of that.”
When a reporter followed up and asked why the target list means so little to him, Rodgers didn’t hesitate. “Because the ball goes to the open guy,” he said.
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He noted that inside the locker room, nobody sits around talking about how many targets they got. “I don’t wanna hear people talking about it. Nobody in the locker room talks about their targets. That’s all for you guys to talk about,” Rodgers said.
He did leave room for nuance, acknowledging that some players naturally need the ball more than others, depending on scheme and matchup. Everyone else, in his words, just “gets in the flow.” That’s not unique to Pittsburgh’s offense, either. It’s how most units around the league operate, according to Rodgers.
Pittsburgh heads to New England this Sunday to face the defending AFC champion Patriots. Balance or not, the offense will need answers fast.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.