Wednesday, October 16
Execution is the key: His resume is one that everyone who has ever watched football is familiar with.
His talent is unique, something cornerback Donte Jackson has seen up close and personal, having faced New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers multiple times in his career.
"His ability to just control the game from the neck up," said Jackson. "He's a very, very smart quarterback. He's one of the greats to play that position. What makes him great to me is obviously his arm talent, but just his above the shoulders, his IQ.
"He's one of the smarter football players to ever grace the game so it's always a great opportunity to go up against a guy like him."
Rodgers has seen it all. He is in his 20th season in the NFL, so there isn't anything that hasn't been thrown at him. The key when going against a player with that kind of experience is simple.
Execution.
"You just have to execute early," said Jackson. "It's not going to be too much guessing with him. Nine times out of ten, he knows what's going on. It's going to have to be early execution, 60 minutes of playing detailed football. That's what it takes to combat what a guy like Rodgers does with the ball in his hands."
And it's not just Rodgers the defense has to deal with. The Jets acquired receiver Davante Adams this week in a trade with the Raiders, and he is expected to play on Sunday night. Adams and Rodgers played together in Green Bay, a connection that will make the transition much easier.
"He's one of the best players in this league, one of the best receivers to ever touch this field, to lace them up," said Jackson. "If they didn't have a plan for him, I'm sure now that he's there, they have a plan for what they're going to do with him."
One thing the defense has to make sure of, though, is they don't just focus on Rodgers and Adams. Because they aren't the only playmakers.
"We know that these guys have a lot of playmakers all over the field, starting with the quarterback position," said Jackson. "He has athletes all over the field, so you really can't compare it to any other game that we've played up to this point.
"You just prepare This is a great duo (Rodgers-Adams), one of the best duos to ever grace this game, to have played together going way back. You get lost just thinking about those two guys.
"But then there's (Garrett) Wilson, who's also a great player. (Allen) Lazard who has a great ID with Aaron Rodgers as well. And No. 20, Breece Hall, he's probably the most dynamic player on that offense and that's saying a lot about him. Nothing to take away from the other guys, but that's saying a lot about him. He's one of the best backs in this league. He's a great player."
No QB determination: Both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields were full participants in practice on Wednesday as the Steelers began their on-field preparation to play the Jets on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
But head coach Mike Tomlin isn't ready to yet name a starter at quarterback for the game.
"I'm not going to get into the details of how we distributed reps," Tomlin said. "It doesn't benefit us. Both guys were full participants today and I liked it. I liked their participation. Any decisions that have been made at this point are in-house."
Wilson, who missed the first five games of the season with a calf injury, was active for the first time this season in last Sunday's 32-13 win over the Raiders, serving as the No. 2 quarterback behind Fields, who started the first six games. Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly press conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex that Wilson would be in consideration to start this week against the Jets.
Wilson began practicing in full last Wednesday for the first time.
Asked specifically how the 13-year-veteran looked at Wednesday's practice, Tomlin simply replied, "It was a good day."
-- Blog entry by Dale Lolley
Center of attention: The next man up mentality is in full effect this season for the Steelers, and nowhere has it been more apparent than on the offensive line.
Per Michael Bertsch of Steelers communications, the team has already had four different starting offensive line combinations this season, which is tied for third most in the NFL.
Compare that to 2023, when the team had four starting offensive line combinations all season and in 2022, when the same line started the entire season.
"We've suffered a lot of instability, particularly on the offensive line," said Coach Mike Tomlin. "We've had (four) lineups through six games, and sometimes that affects our ability to maybe start fluidly, that connectedness, that cohesion that comes with continued collective reps.
"But the group, I can't say enough about their efforts from a large perspective, and their ability to continue to deliver in spite of some of those challenges. We had some of those challenges in-game. Zach Frazier got hurt, and Ryan McCollum went in, and the train kept rolling as another example of that group and the men that coach that group, their resilience and their ability to step up and deliver when things are less than ideal."
This week, that number of combinations is going to increase.
With rookie center Zach Frazier injured, and Tomlin already saying he won't play on Sunday against the New York Jets, it will be Ryan McCollum who will make his first start in a Steelers uniform. He will be the ninth different player to start on the offensive line this season.
"I'm very excited," said McCollum. "I've kind of been waiting for it. I've been preparing for it for the past four years of my career, so just excited to showcase my talents."
McCollum spent the last two seasons on the Steelers practice squad, after being claimed off waivers from the Detroit Lions, where he played in 13 games, starting one.
He has been patiently waiting his turn, knowing his turn would come and never giving up.
"Keep your head down and keep working," said McCollum of his approach.
And when he was asked by someone if he ever considered giving it up, he had no hesitation with his answer.
"No, never. Not a quitter," said McCollum. "It's not in my blood. So just keep working."
While his playing time with the Steelers has been limited, McCollum has kept working. He has taken reps with all three Steelers quarterbacks during the offseason program and training camp, describing his level of comfort with each as 'high.'
"I played with all three of them," said McCollum. "All through training camp and then practice as well."
And while he has gotten snaps with all of them, this week will be different as he will be getting the lion's share of the first team snaps in practice.
"All the walk throughs, the reps and all the different looks I will be getting," said McCollum. "When I am not getting them, I just stand in the back and take mental reps because that's all the reps I'm going to get as a backup. But you've got to be ready to go because there can't be a dip whenever you go in."
When he went in against the Raiders, there definitely wasn't a dip. It was a seamless transition, due in large part to his preparation.
"I've always looked at it as just you've got to prepare like you're the starter and then if you don't play, that's a good thing because nobody got hurt," said McCollum. "But at the same time, you don't want to look like a donkey out there if you didn't prepare and then you've got to go out there and play."
McCollum and Frazier, as well as all of the other offensive linemen, talk continuously on and off the field, which helps with that preparation. Communication is a key for them, and it's a strength they have mastered even with the moving parts.
"I feel like communication is good," said McCollum. "We do a good job with swapping guys in and out to make sure we're working with everyone through camp and continue through the season."
What also helps McCollum's preparation is the coaching he receives from offensive line coach Pat Meyer and assistant offensive line coach Isaac Williams, who he has said have been 'incredibly' helpful for him.
"Any questions I've got, they just kind of break it down," said McCollum. "Being with them for the past few years, they know what words hit my brain and how I understand things. I can have a question about something, and Pat knows how to explain it to me specifically to where it hits my brain, because it hits everybody's brain differently. So, he's really good with that."
Ready for more: Rookie receiver Roman Wilson was active for the first time this season when the Steelers played the Raiders last week, and he said it felt good to finally get out there with his teammates.
"It was cool," said Wilson. "It was my first game active. Got to play a little bit and get my feet wet. So, it's pretty cool.
"Every day I was coming here preparing, trying to get ready for the week and hopefully waiting for my opportunity. I got it this week, so it was good."
Wilson missed the majority of training camp, the preseason and early in the season with an ankle injury. While he didn't have any receptions against the Raiders, he is hoping his time comes this week.
"I hope so," said Wilson. "I always expect to play. I always get my mind ready for that, just try to get better every day."
To get to the point where the ball is coming his way, Wilson knows he just has to keep on working.
"Just getting better every day," said Wilson. "Everything I can do to just get a little better each day, even today. It's what can I do to get better today. How can I become a better player. That's just my mindset.
"(Working on my) route running, blocking, knowing the plays, knowing all the positions, knowing the intent of the play, just a little bit of everything.
"Every week I look back at it and I can confidently say that I'm getting better."
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