There's rumors that Aaron Rodgers could sign with the Steelers... But is it the right match for Mike Tomlin & company?
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00:00So toby didn't say spoiler alert in his update by the way, we call this the toby it's where you
00:08Basically part produce the show, you know book like the beltway blitz today
00:12Sure, you're doing updates for the show sure and you're co-hosting the show today. Sure. That's the all ties. Okay, right?
00:17I mean you you do all three. It's like the the triple indy
00:20Yeah, a little bit of everything. Yeah, which I love it's awesome. Uh question man. Always fun to hang out with you
00:25So you didn't say spoiler alert in your update?
00:27Because i'm like i'm gonna tell you who it is and now you know, I ruined your teeth. Yeah, I mean, that's fine
00:32I mean if i'm not upset about it, I mean I had a salad today. So it's like i've done some good
00:36Um, aaron rogers visited pittsburgh and there's no deal yet. Nothing examined it. Tom. Pellicer was very careful to say that
00:42Um, but here's my point
00:44Here's my view on this and I want to see what you guys think about it
00:48to me
00:49This is the only place he should go
00:52He may not get all the things that he wants if he if he goes like the giants are still horned up for him
00:57And they do it and he's like I want to do more pat mcafee
01:02Somehow like even though I do some pat mcmahon do more. I want to do more podcasts
01:05I want to do more things that aren't football, etc
01:08Maybe the giants would let him do it. I don't know
01:11to me
01:12The only way it can work
01:14This time with aaron rogers because it's no longer the guy that's the mvp of the league
01:18That's sold for 50 touchdowns and three picks and you know, 4800 yards. It's just incredible
01:23That guy ain't walking through the door
01:26A guy that still can sling it a little bit. I mean, yeah, he has many passing touchdowns josh. Allen did last year
01:30We realize that
01:32Yeah, the mvp of the league or the guy that should have finished second to lamar jackson, but I digress
01:37I think they got it, right?
01:39Is it for best player on buffalo or for mvp the league anyway, it should have been no the point is uh, aaron rogers
01:46Statistically, it wasn't that bad. It wasn't good. Am I telling you?
01:49It's a weird thing though
01:50You can look at his season last year and see what you want to see
01:53Yeah, like you want to say aaron rogers still got it. You can find a way
01:56You want to say aaron rogers is washed you can turn on the film and say he's washed
01:59It's it was a weird dichotomy where you could see both sides of it last year
02:03Nowhere near prodigious enough as a passer sub 4 000 yards despite playing uh 17 games, which just tells you the story
02:10It wasn't like they're winning a bunch and they're handing it off a million times and uh, you know
02:13This is a ground and pound. Uh, uh, rex ryan jets team with mark sanchez a cute quarterback
02:19No, they were trailing you were slinging still just not prolific at all. So
02:23The fastball isn't there anymore. You would say I think that's pretty safe, but still
02:27better than a lot of guys
02:29But better than a lot of quarterbacks did last year overall
02:32We start looking at some of the numbers and individual moments
02:34You're still seeing those creativity plays where he's you know
02:37Buying some time sliding not maybe as fast as he used to you know
02:40Throw him back across his body to devonta adams toe tapping the back of the end zone, etc
02:45So if it's going to work
02:47My point is it's got to go. You've got to go somewhere where they have such a good culture
02:52Such a good place that they can deal with annoying bull crap
02:58That place is pittsburgh to me
03:01There are a handful of teams that can fold in the quote unquote problem guy
03:05And the problem guy could be a million probably have a million different ways. It could be the diva receiver
03:10It can be the the legal trouble larry. It can be something hanging over his head. It could be whatever rogers is
03:16I don't even know what to kind of categorize that it's like it's on some category topes
03:20Where the guy's out of his out of his mind just a total pain in the butt
03:25And maybe the production doesn't match. There are only a handful of places where you could do that. I always you know would say
03:31One day in washington. I want to get to the point where you can get the risky guy
03:37Because like the capitals have a culture that's so good
03:41You take a dude that previously was thought of as kind of spoiled
03:44Kind of a a guy that underachieved and had a bad attitude pierre looked at what sorry career year. He's excellent
03:49One of the main reasons why they're as good as they are
03:51Yeah, you take a guy that's been a disappointment elsewhere brett connelly 30 goal scorer just about that's what they do
03:56That's what this organization has done. Their culture is so good
03:59You fold in new people not good like bruce allen said but actually good like legitimately good you get the best out of guys
04:06That's awesome
04:07pittsburgh
04:09With mike tomlin can deal with it. They need to in fact
04:14They've been doing this thing where they're just aggressively mediocre
04:17Uh, you know trying to get by with you know, dudes like russell wilson and whomever you want and it ain't working
04:23They're in a really tough division. That's not getting any easier
04:26That's as bad as since that is going to be I think for the for the foreseeable future
04:30That's as down a year as you can imagine them having if they're healthy. They're formidable. They're a championship contender
04:35They're the only team that kansas city's going. I really I don't really want to see those guys
04:39They're not afraid of anybody else. They don't like cincy
04:41And you know what baltimore's going to be
04:43Pittsburgh is this perennial eight nine nine and eight kind of team and I know they they don't they have losing seasons very often
04:50But that's kind of the the muck they've been stuck in they got some decent pieces
04:55The only place that it might work out for rogers where they've got an outstanding culture is there at pittsburgh
05:00Yeah, I mean, I just don't know why it would be the attractive thing for pittsburgh
05:04It seems like well that I get yeah, right at some point. They have to make a move to get a real quarterback
05:10they have to
05:11because
05:12the idea that
05:14and this is why I know you guys are big, you know grant and you are big tomlin fans and I think most people are but
05:19at some point it's got to get back to the steeler standard of winning super bowls and not just
05:24Hey guys, we didn't finish below 500 again
05:27But by some by some way with kenny pickett we finished above 500 or at 500
05:33When did that become the steeler standard that's never been the steeler
05:36Championships and so at some point they have to get a real quarterback in there
05:41If they haven't had one since ben and you know
05:43they they rode ben until they possibly could and then ever since then it's been a disaster and rogers is just
05:49throwing a band-aid on a
05:51To fit a quick fix and it's not going to fix anything like
05:54I think it would help you in that division obviously having him versus whatever else you're going to roll with but
05:59Does he suddenly propel you to being a legitimate contender in the afc which is
06:04Stacked year after year. No, it does not you're in the same spot again. So
06:08If you want to go and say hey, we could win 9 10 games with rogers
06:12We'll sneak into the back end of the playoffs. We'll lose we'll get we'll get the same conversation over again
06:16But i'm going to keep my job because I never have a losing season. I'm always in the playoffs fine
06:20I think that fits exactly what you're trying to do
06:23But I just don't understand why they would entertain the idea of bringing that much drama
06:29That there is with rogers to your point
06:31I think if there's a place in the nfl right now
06:33That has that sort of opening that could find a way to maybe tame aaron rogers a little bit
06:37It is pittsburgh, but I just don't know how it makes sense for them for rogers
06:41I think it makes sense because it's a team that could win because realistically what there's three
06:46Options for him minnesota has kind of pulled themselves out of the fight
06:49But I think if you know push came to shove maybe they'd still consider him a little bit later in the offseason
06:54So minnesota still an option I think
06:57The giants I don't understand any allure to them
06:59Like if i'm aaron rogers and i'm about to ride off into the sunset
07:03Why the heck would I want to go play for the new york giant so I can lose again?
07:06What the heck does that game mean?
07:07I want to go win so pittsburgh probably makes the most sense and so in that case, maybe they marry up perfectly
07:13but if i'm pittsburgh at some point I got to look in the mirror and say
07:17Are we trying to win a super bowl?
07:18Are we just trying to be relevant all the time because it used to be that super bowls were the standard right now?
07:23It seems like it's just about finishing above 500 and rogers can get you there. I don't think he's getting you lombardi though
07:29Yeah, i'm with you. So so two separate discussions to me if you're the steelers or if i'm anybody I don't do this
07:35This is just not what I major in. I don't do the bridge quarterback. I think it's a bridge to more bridges
07:39I think it's the the most foolish
07:42Nonsensical thing every once in a while. It'll work better than maybe a team plan and you and you know
07:47You end up lucky I would say that was a case with detroit to be honest with you
07:51Right when they taking on jared goff's deal. It wasn't about golf
07:54It was about the draft picks and a bunch of the stuff they got back
07:57And it turns out that bridge quarterback when you married him with ben johnson
08:01You got beautiful music goff has put up great numbers since he got there, uh to detroit, right?
08:06So sometimes it works but for me for the most part 90 some percent of the time almost without fail
08:13That bridge quarterback thing you are cleveland. You are washington
08:16You are chicago and you are pre jerry goff. I suppose detroit where you just can't get the spot, right?
08:23And you're always chasing
08:24You don't finish bad enough to get on the top three or four in one of those years where it's worth doing
08:30And you end up picking in the late teens or picking in the 20s and you and you go. Let's try kenny pickett
08:35Let's try the next leftover thing and you never bottom out because you won't do it. There's a big parallel for me between
08:41Organizations the st louis cardinals in baseball and the pittsburgh steelers in football both believe and I happen to know this for the cardinal perspective
08:49One guy that was a uh, huge mentor older brother figure in our life
08:52His family was part of the ownership group, uh of the cardinals
08:55And so he worked there and you know, obviously follows him incredibly closely and they don't tank
09:01No, it's not their dna. They will not they won't do it
09:04Uh, and there's something to be said for it when everybody else is going
09:08Well, we could get a little better. We're not gonna and and spend a much more we're not gonna do that
09:12They go that's exactly what we're gonna do
09:13We'll go trade for the guy. We'll let someone walk and we'll find the cardinal way
09:17One of these guys will come up
09:18So every once in a while when their next slew of prospects doesn't work out
09:23What jordan walker doesn't turn out to be a star when large newt bar is just a guy and you go up and down the list
09:28You end up with a team that all of a sudden is old and probably not gonna be very good this year
09:32And improving on l central. This is not a cardinal's breakdown. It's just sort of a matter of fact
09:37And they probably would have been better off a couple times had they just been bad thinking about st
09:42Louis and or pittsburgh, but they won't do it. It's not who they are. So from their perspective, you're 100 right?
09:47I would not do this. I would not be in this business
09:49I'm, just I don't do a one-year solution
09:52When i'm, you know, not one player away from winning a championship. How many cautionary tales do we need?
09:58So that's conversation one conversation two if i'm aaron rogers i'm not leaving pittsburgh
10:03Somebody else might offer me more now
10:04It depends on what you want. If you still want to be able to do the full aaron rogers 360 panoramic
10:10where you're
10:11pat mcafeeing
10:13Saying weird stuff and having netflix documentaries about you. Yeah, and and you know trying this experimental thing
10:19You're seeing the the pyramids but on peyote. I got no idea what he wants to do
10:24if it's just assuming it's a regular football conversation where you're interested in sort of
10:29You know, uh taking back your legacy to a degree
10:33I'm not leaving pittsburgh, man
10:35I'm gonna stay right there. I'll sign a deal and i'll make it so that i've got a pretty good group around me
10:41That could maybe use a playmaker too, but pittsburgh ain't bad, right?
10:45That might give me my chance to actually make it work
10:48And if i'm like tom and i'm going all right if we're doing this
10:50None of the none of the bogus stuff. None of the bs. We're not indulging it for even a microsecond
10:54That's the only way this works
10:56The tough part for me is I actually think there is a good fit outside of pittsburgh
11:00And I think minnesota can make it work
11:01But I just don't think that aaron rogers at this point in his career is willing to fit into an offense
11:06the problem for rogers is
11:08And I got to cover him for a little bit of time
11:09you know the mvp years and then kind of a little bit of fall off after that before he
11:13Ultimately left for new york
11:14I got to cover him when I was in milwaukee and
11:16I think the problem that rogers ran into as he started to decline after those mvp seasons
11:21after they drafted jordan love and green bay is
11:24He was trying to build an offense around aaron rogers where aaron rogers was still 25
11:28And aaron rogers is obviously no longer that guy
11:31and
11:32The same stuff that I saw in a disappointing year for the green bay packers
11:36His last season there is the same stuff that I saw with the jets
11:40obviously last year it was kind of a lost cause this past season, you know, he was
11:45Just not anything that special and I think if he were willing to fit into an offense danny
11:51Where if he went to kevin o'connell and said i'm gonna run your offense you're in charge
11:57Then I think they can make it work
11:58Because I think what you saw jordan love step in and do and play well under matt lafleur
12:03That was more lafleur's offense not aaron rogers
12:05And I think the reason it fell off is aaron rogers offense doesn't work in the nfl anymore
12:09Where aaron rogers is 40 plus and can't move like aaron rogers of old and can't do the same things like he used to
12:16If he would just play in kevin o'connell or maybe even if he were to stick in pittsburgh and arthur smith's offense
12:22I think he can make it work because I think he's still an above average quarterback if he were to play that way
12:27But he doesn't do it. And so if I could get buy-in from aaron rogers to say hey, man, just trust your reeds
12:34Throw it to the guy that's open throw the ball to jefferson throw the ball to addison
12:38I actually think if I were kevin o'connell i'd be interested in that because jj mccarthy his rookie season was wasted with an injury
12:44He couldn't really develop the only thing that you were able to do was get him mental reps
12:48So physically he's still got to get used to the nfl reps and going through all that
12:51I think it'd be good for them to give him another year sitting
12:54But I don't think that I could bring in an aaron rogers and I think he'd be a good mentor by the way
12:58I think he you heard that from his time in new york and even with uh, jordan love and and green bay
13:03He was never like far was to him. He was more than willing to help out if you ask questions
13:08But I think if he were willing
13:10To fit into an offense and run what is asked
13:13I think he could still be a good quarterback and maybe play a few more seasons
13:16But I also have a hard time believing that's going to happen. And so that kind of for me
13:21Why would I want to bring in aaron rogers to run aaron rogers offense?
13:24Do I have to get alan lazard and nathaniel hackett and everybody? I can't do that anymore. So
13:29I don't know where the fit is
13:31I I would laugh if it ends up being the giants frankly. I just
13:36It's weird where we've gotten because he's so talented. He's so good
13:39obviously the last leg of his career not the same guy was, you know a decade ago, but
13:44I just don't know where he ends up. I don't know how it makes sense for a team
13:49I don't know how it fully makes sense for aaron rogers
13:52I think he's gonna play next season, but I I would not be the one to pull the trigger on that back-to-back
13:58mvp awards
14:00averaging about 70 percent completions
14:03for 42 50
14:05Yards 4 250 yards. This is the average of two years 42 and a half touchdowns and four and a half picks
14:11That was his average which over two seasons just a couple of years ago
14:16How long ago does that seem playing wise though?
14:19You know what? I mean?
14:19Like it seems like forever because that last season you touched on you saw the beginnings of this of the cracks
14:26At the end of that 2021 season where go back to 2020, uh, covid year. He was averaging 9.1
14:34percent
14:36yards per completion
14:38Like think about that. I'm, uh rather uh yards per attempt
14:41That number dropped so precipitously the following year down to 7.7 and it started to get worse from there
14:48You could see it as it was going. It wasn't the the now
14:51I know some things change receiver personnel changes and and whatever but you could see that that prolific
14:57Ability to sling it with a flick of a wrist the hail marys that he would get and uh, everything in between
15:03Wasn't quite the same anymore
15:05And then 2022 we fell off 23 the injury and now 24 we have all the nests
15:11So buy or sell what i'm saying here 800-636-1067 forget if you would want him or not if you're pittsburgh
15:18I think pittsburgh's the only place it might work for him if he's willing to not do any of the bullcrap
15:23Just pipe down and do what you're supposed to do and let mike tomlin
15:28Welcome him into the fold