Aaron Rodgers / The Most Unattractive Play In The Sport
Hear it here!
Are we still talking about Aaron Rodgers?
And what’s my opinion about the ‘tush push’? Boy, do I dislike that term.
Let’s start with Rodgers the Ridiculous.
The guy still hasn’t made up his mind whether he wants to hang ‘em up and retire or still play football. Methinks he still wants to toss the ball and if it’s for anyone, it’ll be with the Pittsburgh Steelers which rubs me the wrong way. I know he’s said that there are serious health issues with some of those close to him and we all have to commiserate on that score, but how long does it really take to make a DECISION.
Of course, it may be that he knows and the Steelers know he’s headed their way.
Maybe both sides have known this for quite some time.
Maybe it’ll all be revealed very soon, like before these words hit the newsstand.
I don’t know the man. I only see and hear what he says and see him play.
He was the wrong man at the wrong time for the Jets two years ago, who were looking to create a buzz. They sure did, but not where it counted, on the playing field.
The Jets gambled on a 39-year old quarterback who had seen his best days trying to lead a team that was not ready for prime time.
It failed miserably. Rodgers was injured on the fourth play of his first game and missed the season. He came back admirably, had some flashes, but there was never a thought the Jets would thrive.
They let him go, and now with a new head coach, Aaron Glenn, and a new plan, they finally appear to have some hope, and maybe more than that.
The likely, and really only spot left is in Pittsburgh and I personally don’t feel comfortable with that.
Here’s why:
I’ve had an affinity for the Steelers organization dating back to the late 60’s.
My first major job in the business was in that city as sports director of KDKA-TV.
It was there that I got to know the patriarch of the franchise, Art Rooney, who founded the team. His son, Dan was closer to my age and we struck up a relationship that lasted decades.
Dan was the General Manager of the Steelers and I was there when Chuck Noll was hired as head coach. The team was mired in years of failure and subpar management, and finally, Dan Rooney was on a mission to reverse the trend and build a reputable organization. He started by hiring Noll, who in turn drafted Hall of Famers Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, and the many other greats that ultimately produced four Super Bowl championships under Noll.
What was once a futile franchise became of the league’s perennial powerhouses that continued under head coaches Bill Cowher and the current head man, Mike Tomlin.
Since 1969, the Steelers have had only three head coaches and five General Managers.
Ownership of the club went from Art Rooney, to his son Dan, who passed away in 2017, and now Art Rooney II, Dan’s son, who has been president since 2003.
The Steelers are no longer the dynasty they once were, but they are always difficult opponent for any team they face. They are always a division contender with the threat of being more.
The Steelers have never had a losing season in Tomlin’s 18 years as head coach, but they have not won a playoff game in the last 8 seasons.
They have struggled at quarterback since the days of Ben Roethlisberger, and after not ending their playoff victory drought last year with veteran Russell Wilson at the helm, they are likely to go with Aaron Rodgers to clear that hurdle and perhaps hold the fort till another young QB prospect is ready to get the job done.
They drafted Will Howard of Ohio State in the 5th round in April after several other more highly rated hopefuls were chosen. No one knows if Howard will ever be the answer, but I feel Rodgers, who is a quirky individual to say the least is now 41, not getting better, and is not cut from what I consider the Steelers mold.
The Steelers have been the poster child for toughness and grit.
I’m not saying Aaron Rodgers isn’t tough. He’s had to be to achieve the career he’s enjoyed. But he doesn’t act tough. His words and beliefs are often puzzling and not easy to understand. He doesn’t fit.
Why do the Steelers feel Rodgers at his stage will be capable of challenging the Baltimore Ravens and even the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Central?
What is the upside the Steelers any more than the same question asked of the Jets two years ago.
Aaron Rodgers marches to his own drummer. I know the fans in Pittsburgh are not overjoyed with the probability of his leading their team.
Granted, the quarterback is a sure-fire Hall of Famer, but time has taken its toll on his ability to vault the team to playoff success.
On another football topic, I will use the term, ‘tush push’ for the last time.
That’s the maneuver the Philadelphia Eagles have used to extreme success on short yardage plays and goal line situations. It’s a play where only a few yards, from one to three are needed to gain a first down or score a touchdown.
It’s looks like a rugby scrum, and it is the most unattractive play in the sport.
Several huge linemen get behind the quarterback who is squatting low and on the snap they push and shove the QB with the ball forward until he makes the yards they need.
The Eagles are the only team to employ this maneuver. The Buffalo Bills, with a big, strong quarterback in Josh Allen have tried it with mixed success.
For the Eagles it is an automatic winning play.
So, many teams in the NFL called for its removal from the game, with most citing safety reasons. The league held a vote and it was rejected.
The play will remain.
It isn’t pretty and its success has been a foregone conclusion. The Eagles, with their personnel know how to make it work. It won’t be that easy for others to follow suit.
You have to have the right technique, timing, and size of the players, including a quarterback who is not especially tall, but strong.
Jalen Hurts, the Eagles quarterback is 6’1”, not as tall as you’d like, but 223 lbs. He’s got strength.
He can squat 600 lbs they say, so he can get down and move with the push.
I’m not surprised teams tried to eliminate it from the game. I’m delighted they couldn’t do it. The play has not been a safety problem.
My advice to them? Learn to execute it. Learn to stop it.
And stay out of goal line and short yardage situations on defense.
People may enjoy the two-word description for the play.
But I used the term sparingly. To me, it’s a short-yardage play with a lot of big folks involved, and leave it at that.
