Want to get along with new Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers?
Let him run the show.
OK, maybe that is a bit harsh. But amid questions about how the QB might get along with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, former Steelers star Merril Hoge offered up the question ...
And the answer.
And away we go ...
Before signing here, Rodgers claimed he wasn't "holding anybody hostage.'' ... even though he was.
Somehow, the four-time MVP accumulated that power then.
And he's using it now, as his new team works to customize its offense to fit his legendary (if fading) skill set.
After ending a three-month wait by signing a one-year contract, Rodgers is being allowed to put his hands on the steering wheel. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Rodgers have all been in communication about changing the team's offense to fit the new QB.
And Hoge is buying it.
Said Hoge (via 102.5 WDVE h/t Matthew Marczi of Steelers Depot. "When you have a guy like Aaron Rodgers, I personally believe it's insanity not to give the reins and trust the guy who's inside those white lines, who understands and feels the game, knows the game and is gonna get us in the best possible position."
And nobody around here wants "insanity.''
Factually, though, Rodgers being allowed to "help run the New York Jets'' didn't work over the span of his two seasons there. he did as he wishes, skipped work when it fit him, pushed for buddies to be signed to the roster ...
And ultimately was more part of the problem rather than the solution during an awful 5-12 season that got him kicked to the curb of free agency.
It will be a big for the Steelers - the only team that really bid on him - as they work to transform an offense built around 2024 quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Fields, in particular, can move.
The 41-year-old pocket passer Rodgers? Not so much, as last season he was sacked 40 times.
Does Tomlin fix all of that? Does Smith? Maybe Rodgers must take it on his shoulders to do so. After all, it's "insanity'' to not let him do so.