The preseason opener between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers already has one big wrinkle: no one seems fully committed to what comes next, especially when it comes to Aaron Rodgers.
Green Bay has been clear that it plans to get its starters on the field against Pittsburgh, at least for a drive or two. The Steelers, though, have been far less definitive. Pittsburgh head coach Mike McCarthy, who won a Super Bowl in Green Bay, said as recently as yesterday that he still had not decided whether his starters would play on Thursday.
Rodgers’ status adds another layer of uncertainty. McCarthy said on the radio that Rodgers wants to play against his former team this week, but Rodgers sounded far less locked in when he spoke to reporters.
“It’s preseason. It’s not real football.
So if I do, great. If not, great.”
He also offered a blunt take on the whole exhibition-game routine.
“Preseason’s a lot different. Teams don’t run anything anymore.
They just really don’t,” Rodgers said. “Even joint practices.
The first year we were doing them, it was fun because you got to play a team that wasn’t going to play how they played in the preseason. They were going to show you a lot of different things they were working on.
It was like a real day at camp.
“But as that got on, it just stopped being like that. It just turned into fights, and nobody showed anything.
I think those are a waste of a day. I think preseason football is good to see guys with the pads on, under the lights, how they react to the nerves.
But it’s not real regular season football.”
When asked directly whether there would be any benefit to him taking part in Thursday’s game, Rodgers gave a short answer: “I don’t think so.”
In Other News...
Jordan Love Is Showing Why The Packers Stayed Patient
Jordan Loves growth has been easy to trace if you watch the details before the snap. The Packers quarterback said his years behind Aaron Rodgers gave him a front-row view of how much control a quarterback can have at the line of scrimmage, especially when it comes to protection adjustments and getting everyone settled before the play starts. It is the kind of lesson that does not always show up in the box score, but it has clearly helped shape the player Green Bay has now.
Love has gone from apprentice to steady starter, and the last three seasons have only reinforced why the Packers were willing to wait. He has developed into a quarterback who can handle the mental side of the job as well as the physical one, and that matters most in January, where Green Bay has been back in the playoff picture multiple times. The next step is less about proving he belongs and more about just how far that command can carry him. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Have A Forgotten Draft Pick Worth Watching
John Williams barely got a chance to show what Green Bay thought it was getting when it drafted the former Cincinnati Bearcats guard, because a back injury wiped out his entire rookie season. Now he is back in training camp, and the early return has been encouraging for a Packers offensive line that can always use more flexibility. General manager Brian Gutekunst has already pointed to Williams progress, especially the way he has handled a variety of responsibilities up front.
What makes Williams interesting again is not just that he is healthy, but that he has been movable across the line in a way that gives the Packers options if he keeps building on this camp. Preseason games will matter here, because roster spots are never handed out on potential alone, and Williams still has to beat out the other names in the mix before Green Bay decides whether this forgotten draft pick is ready to stick. [Read more 🡒]
Matt LaFleur Opens Up About A Personal Loss Beyond Packers Camp
Packers coach Matt LaFleur had planned to leave training camp and make the trip to a funeral service for Cristina Ulbrich, the wife of his longtime friend Jeff Ulbrich, but a mechanical problem with his private plane kept him from attending. The aircraft failed its preflight check, interrupting a personal obligation that had been on LaFleurs calendar as he balanced camp duties with a difficult off-field moment.
Cristina Ulbrich died last month after a battle with cancer, and the Falcons announced her death on July 30. LaFleur and his wife had intended to fly in for the service, a reminder that even in the middle of camp, football people are still carrying the kinds of personal losses that pull them away from the field. [Read more 🡒]