There is quote a bit of drama surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers entering this Sunday’s matchup versus the Indianapolis Colts. It may be mostly media driven, but the Steelers brass isn’t necessarily helping.
Count quarterback Aaron Rodgers among them.
Rodgers provided a lot of short answers while speaking to the media Wednesday. That may have been in an effort to limit what reporters might be able to do to exacerbate the perceived chaos surrounding the team this week.
But the quarterback might not have done his team or coach a lot of favors by simply refusing to answer one question he received.
“I’m not going to touch that one,” said Rodgers when asked about whether the play calls are coming in too late.
To every follow-up question about whether he had talked to head coach Mike McCarthy the timeliness of the play calls, Rodgers kept his answers brief.
“Yeah, Mike and I have talked,” added Rodgers.
“It’s always ironed out.”
Rodgers then responded, “Sometimes, yeah” when asked if he and McCarthy normally communicate as they did Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns.
Amazon Prime cameras caught Rodgers screaming at the sideline in the first quarter during that contest. The quarterback appeared to be yelling at McCarthy about the length of time it was taking to get the play call to him.
The Amazon stream also caught McCarthy saying obscenities back to Rodgers. The pair have continued to receive questions about the exchange a week later.
Aaron Rodgers Fails to Answer Play-Calling Question
The Steelers fell to 2-2 in Week 4 during a loss in which Rodgers and other veterans were noticeably upset. Other than Rodgers, edge rusher T.J. Watt yelled into a headset that had defensive coordinator Patrick Graham on the other end.
Graham dispelled any potential trouble in communication between him and Watt. McCarthy, though, added fuel to the fire when he told reporters “our house is not clean right now” on Monday.
Tight end Pat Freiermuth clarified those comments Tuesday, but by then, it was too late. Other outlets were already taking McCarthy’s remark out of context.
It’s very possible Rodgers was aware of that fact and declined to answer the play-calling question because he didn’t want to create more chaos. The quarterback, though, may have done that anyway by not answering it.
“It’s an issue that goes beyond the relationship between Rodgers and McCarthy. If Rodgers is behaving in a way that creates the impression that he believes McCarthy is incompetent when it comes to the simple act of quickly and efficiently telling the quarterback the next play, other players will see it. And they may view McCarthy differently,” wrote Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
“Indeed, the fact that Rodgers wouldn’t comment on whether the plays are coming in fast enough means that, in his view, they’re not.”
It’s important to note that Florio has historically been a loud Rodgers critic. But the NFL insider may have a fair point on this subject.
A non-answer answer from the quarterback probably would have been better than refusing to respond to the question altogether.
However, it doesn’t really matter what Rodgers, McCarthy or his teammates say. What matters is how they respond versus the Colts this Sunday. That’s when we’ll learn more about how much potential drama there may or may not be in Pittsburgh’s locker room.
Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Declines Comment on Play Call Related Question