Teresa Varley

Wednesday, October 22

Business as usual:No matter whose locker you stood in front of on Wednesday, the question being asked was the same.

Do you notice a difference in Aaron Rodgers this week as he prepares to play the Green Bay Packers, the team he spent 18 seasons with?

The answer across the board has been simple.

"No," said receiver DK Metcalf. "He comes to work just like any other week."

And that is exactly what his teammates expect from him.

Rodgers is a true professional, someone who handles his business as expected.

And that is both on and off the field.

"Just his communication aspect," said Metcalf. "We have a player-led meeting on Thursdays where he's the head of the meeting. He does a lot of coaching up there. What he sees that we can do better.

"And everybody just listens to him and takes notes."

Metcalf said there is no extra urgency for the team to win this week because of Rodgers, and he wouldn't want it that way either.

"I mean, we try to do that every week, we step out there, so no," said Metcalf.

One thing Rodgers could have working in his favor on Sunday is a full complement of receivers with Calvin Austin III back in the mix after missing the last two games with a shoulder injury.

"Excited to see Calvin back out there," said Metcalf. "Just happy he got back healthy and looking forward to seeing him on Sunday.

"He's very fast, so it's another element the defense has got to scheme for and think about."

Austin's return gives the Steelers a group of speedy receivers, including Metcalf, Roman Wilson and Scotty Miller.

"It does incorporate an element that the defense has to scheme for, but also the defensive backs can't just sit and backpedal or hard press you up the line of scrimmage," said Metcalf. "They've got to worry about us running past them."

Trending in the right direction:There are a lot of trends in the NFL, but there is only one that truly matters.

And that is trending in the right direction.

That is exactly what the Steelers offense is doing.

Over the last four weeks, the offense has continued to establish themselves as one of the best in the NFL, and it all comes down to things they continually preach.

"I think the biggest thing is just execution," said tight end Pat Freiermuth. "I think everyone's starting to finally get on the same page, executing what we're assigned to do. And I think everyone on the offense is seeing the game the same way.

"So, we're actually at a high level right now."

What is the key to keeping it at that high level?

Again, something they continually preach.

"Just being on our details, especially in practice," said Freiermuth. "Seeing what 8 (quarterback Aaron Rodgers) wants us to do and all the run game fits and stuff like that.

"So, just be on the same page in practice."

Rodgers has been a key piece to the offense trending in the right direction, the veteran signal caller knowing his stuff like not many others in the league do.

And he shares that knowledge with his teammates, wanting everyone around him to benefit and continue to grow.

"It's been awesome every single day," said Freiermuth. "He's taking a lot of guys under his wing to get better and push guys to get better in all aspects.

"And he's meant a lot to me and the whole locker room as well."

What might mean a lot to Rodgers this week is going against the team he spent his first 18 seasons in the NFL with, the Green Bay Packers.

If it does, he isn't letting on.

"He's the same guy every single day regardless of who we're playing," said Freiermuth. "I would assume that all the guys in the locker room understand what it means to him."

Better together:The Steelers offense is a close unit, on display once again when quarterback Aaron Rodgers set things up for the offensive line and quarterbacks to attend the Penguins hockey game on Tuesday night.

It's a closeness that is seen off the field, while at the same time paying dividends on the field.

Rodgers wasn't sacked in either the Browns or Bengals game, something the line wants to make a habit as they take great pride in protecting their quarterback.

"We take pride in keeping Aaron clean," said McCormick. "That's our quarterback, and that's our job ultimately. We take pride in it, but it's a constant battle every week to be able to try to replicate."

The offense has put up 20 plus points in five out of six games this season, and the last few weeks have picked things up on the ground and in the air.

"I can't really point to one thing," said McCormick of the recent success the offense is having. "We do a lot of different stuff up front. We're just trying to get better every week.

"We're just trying to keep growing. We're a young group and we're going to keep climbing and keep working to get better."

And with Rodgers at the helm, it sure helps.

"He's such a competitor," said McCormick. "I like to think I am as well. It's fun to block for a guy that loves to compete like that.

"Some of the stuff he can do at the line is pretty cool. Some of the stuff that we can't see until he uncovers it. He does a tremendous job.

"It's super nice being able to block for such an experienced guy back there."

A lot of Rodgers experience came from his 18 seasons playing for the Green Bay Packers. This week he will be facing his former team, and he is treating it as business as usual.

"Aaron's a true pro," said McCormick. "He loves playing football, he loves to compete.

"I wouldn't say I see anything different out of him this week."

Staying steady:The Steelers will wear their 1933 Throwback Uniforms on Sunday night, but that won't be the only throwback taking place.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will have a throwback of his own, facing the team he played 18 seasons for in the Green Bay Packers.

Coach Mike Tomlin was asked about the 'reunion,' but is keeping that something more personal for Rodgers.

"Aaron has been at it a long time," said Tomlin, who said he didn't have a sense of the magnitude of the matchup for Rodgers. "He's got an awesome relationship with this game. Haven't been with him for a long time. He's been fired up every single week. I imagine it's going to be the same.

"I imagine some external things are going to make more out of it than it is for him. He's playing and playing to win. That's what he does. That's kind of my perspective on it."

Tomlin's perspective on Rodgers is one that has been nothing but good since he signed with the Steelers in June.

"I've been in this thing long enough you don't stumble into 20-plus years of service in this business," said Tomlin. "There's unique habits, unique relationships with the game of football. I anticipated that.

"It still doesn't make it less impressive, his day to day, what he's willing to do. He's been in the building all day. He loves it. It's who he is.

"He loves the process. He loves to talk ball. He loves to educate his teammates to get on the same page.

"He doesn't tire in terms of seeking resolution to issues. There's a lot of good things about him other than obviously his physical talents and skills that have been really impressive.

"As I mentioned, not that I'm shocked by it, but it's still highly appreciated."

Rodgers immediately stepped into a leadership role on and off the field, another thing that didn't surprise Tomlin.

"I just know too many people that have worked with him in other locations," said Tomlin. "I knew how his teammates felt about him in other places. Not shocked by that at all."

When 'Push' comes to shove:One of the things that went wrong in the Steelers' 33-31 loss in Cincinnati was a false start penalty assessed to guard Mason McCormick on an attempted "Tush Push" or "Brotherly Shove."

The Steelers resorted to their version of the Eagles' infamous rugby-scrum/short-yardage run on fourth-and-1 from the Bengals' 18-yard line with the Steelers leading, 7-0, early in the second quarter last Thursday night at Paycor Stadium.

Once the 5-yard penalty was assessed, head coach Mike Tomlin opted for a 41-yard field goal attempt by kicker Chris Boswell rather than trying to convert fourth-and-6 on the way to potentially scoring a touchdown. Boswell was successful in establishing a 10-0 advantage but had the fourth-and-1 been converted the lead may have grown to 14-0 at the conclusion of the possession.

"The false start on fourth-and-1 when we were in the red area was a four-point-like penalty," Tomlin observed this week. "In games like that you can't afford to have them."

The Steelers had successfully converted a third-and-1 from the Minnesota 41 on a direct snap to tight end Connor Heyward, who was assisted from behind by tight end Darnell Washington, with 5:37 left in the fourth quarter of their 24-21 victory over the Vikings on Sept. 28. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers observed from behind the formation with his hands on his hips before eventually signaling 'First Down."

"I think it's a good play," center Zach Frazier maintained. "We just gotta be perfect because there's so much eyes on it from stuff happening around the league and stuff like that. I think it's a great play for us. With Darnell back there it's hard to stop. I don't think people can really stop it when we execute it right."

The level of execution Frazier referenced shouldn't be too much to ask, in offensive tackle Troy Fautanu's estimation.

"I wouldn't say so, no, not really," he offered. "Obviously, had the penalty (in Cincinnati), moved a little early, I did, too, unfortunate. I kinda like the play, it's kinda fun."

It remains to be seen if the Steelers try such an approach again on Sunday night against Green Bay, the team with which Rodgers spent 18 seasons before joining the Jets and, eventually, the Steelers.

"He hasn't really talked about it," Frazier said of Rodgers playing against the team with which he had an almost a two-decade association. "I'm sure he's just gonna treat it like any other game.

"I haven't gotten the feeling that he's treating it any different. I feel like he's still approaching it the same way he does every week."

The same could be said of Rodgers' new teammates with the Steelers.

"We want to win every game, and especially this game because it's the next one," Frazier added. "But yeah, I think that would be pretty special to win that game for him, for sure."

-- Blog entry by Mike Prisuta

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Monday, October 20

Starting to jell:There is nothing an offensive line wants more than to protect their quarterback, and the last two weeks the Steelers did just that.

Aaron Rodgers wasn't sacked in either the Browns or Bengals game, something the line wants to make a habit.

"We have to continue to keep him upright," said offensive tackle Broderick Jones. "I feel like the o-line did their job doing that last week. We just have to continue to trend in the right direction and keep him upright.

"We are definitely trending in the right direction. We have to keep growing and developing as a unit."

That growth is a direct result of the offense working together as one and continuing to become the unit they know they are capable of.

"It's us starting to jell," said Jones. "Being able to go against different defenses and not just bashing heads with our defense day in and day out. Being able to see different schemes and looks, knowing what to expect and not expect.

"You can anticipate what defenses want to do against us because everyone knows we want to run the ball first. People try to scheme around that. I feel like us playing as an offense against everyone else, we're starting to gel more, connect more as an offense."

And having Rogers as the glue sure doesn't hurt.

"With a young team like us, I feel like it gives us a boost of confidence just knowing that you've got No. 8 back there," said Jones. "He's calling the shots, making sure everybody is right. He's just a shot caller.

"It's a big help for me knowing he is back there. I know he is going to control what needs to be controlled on the field, what needs to be done. It gives me confidence to go out there and play."

Moving on:Linebacker Patrick Queen knows Thursday night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals wasn't the defensive performance the unit wanted.

But he also knows there is a huge challenge ahead.

Preparing for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football at Acrisure Stadium.

"I moved on already. It's in the past," said Queen. "You just have to get better from it.

"I think there is a lot of stuff we can learn, coaches and players. We have to prepare for the next one."

While preparing, though, Queen knows they have to take the lessons they learned in the loss with them.

"Everyone just honing in, doing their job," said Queen. "Regardless of what the play call is. Regardless of who you are going against. When you think of a professional, it's them doing their job with excellence.

"It's really simple. You just do your job the best you can."

Queen knows giving up 142 yards rushing and 342 passing, like they did against the Bengals, is not what this defense is about.

He also understands both teams come to play every week.

"It's the NFL," said Queen. "Sometimes it happens, even though you don't want it to. Sometimes it's ugly.

"At the end of the day, they get paid to play. Their coaches get paid to coach. We just have to make the plays.

"We have to go out there and execute better and try not to let those things happen.

"When the moment is there, make the play. Whatever it is, the opportunity, us as a whole, being better. From the small details, whatever it may be, just be better."

Turning the page:After admittedly emerging "(ticked) off" in the wake of a 33-31 loss in Cincinnati, defensive tackle and defensive co-captain Cameron Heyward maintained a similar demeanor today as the Steelers turned their attention to Green Bay.

"I don't think the mood's really changed," Heyward assessed. "The game happened Thursday, got the weekend off, trying to right the ship on Sunday."

The loss to the Bengals included the defense allowing the NFL's worst rushing offense to amass 142 yards on the ground on 23 carries, a 6.2 average per attempt.

The Bengals took the field against the Steelers last Thursday night at Paycor Stadium averaging 56.7 yards per game on the ground.

The Steelers had allowed a combined 135 yards rushing in their previous two games, victories over Minnesota and Cleveland.

Those performances suggest their sudden vulnerability defending the run against the Bengals might have been an outlier.

"It's gotta be but nothing is guaranteed," Heyward said. "You gotta go out there and make the proper adjustments.

"We gotta play with better technique."

The success the Bengals had on the ground against the Steelers set the table for success in the air. The problems against the run are correctable, Heyward maintained. But Heyward also emphasized it will be up to the defense to make the necessary corrections.

"To be good in this league you have to get off blocks but also maintain your gap," he said. "A couple times we can get a little thirsty and, you know, you pay the price.

"Communication has to be stressed here on out in practice to out of it to prepare for every situation. It's a process, it just has to keep growing."

Thirsting to make a play at the expense of gap integrity is a familiar conundrum up front. It's more fixable than getting blown off the ball, but it still has to be fixed.

"It can definitely be righted but we got work to do and we gotta attack it," Heyward said.

The hosting of the Packers on Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium includes an emotional component given quarterback Aaron Rodgers' 18-year history in Green Bay.

But to Heyward it's still just another game, and significant because it's the next one much more than because of who it's against.

"No different," he insisted. "Obviously, you want to win for Aaron but we want to play better football and we gotta to get this taste out of our mouth."

-- Blog entry by Mike Prisuta

Bringing you the action:For fans who don't want to miss any of the action, NFL+ is here, which means you can now watch the Steelers live and on the go! Watch live local and primetime regular season games on mobile, plus NFL RedZone, NFL Network, live audio and more - all in one place.

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