The relationship between Pittsburgh Steelers rookie QB Will Howard and QB Aaron Rodgers was one of the biggest storylines for the team throughout training camp. Howard dressed for the first time in Week 11 as the team’s emergency third quarterback, and what he’s learned from Rodgers this season is once again becoming a talking point. While at the Pitt-Notre Dame game last week, Howard met up with Jon Gruden, with whom he also did an episode of Gruden’s QB Class ahead of the draft. While there, Howard told Gruden that Rodgers has basically become another coach for the Steelers.
“Smartest dude I’ve ever been around. It’s unbelievable,” Howard told Gruden in the latest episode of Inside The FFCA on Barstool Sports. “It’s so good just to see him operate. Like we have meetings every Thursday where it’s just the offense, just the players and Aaron. I’m kind of the computer bitch, I run the computer while he’s doing it, and then just watching him coach. He is a coach at this point.”
Coach Gruden went on the road to watch the Irish take on the Pitt Panthers and heard from Will Howard on what it's like to learn from Aaron Rodgers.
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The more that Howard can soak in from Rodgers, the better off he’s going to be as a pro. Gruden is a big believer in Howard and thinks he’s going to be a starter in the NFL. While it’s rare for a sixth-round pick to become a consistent starter in the NFL, Howard’s experience learning behind Rodgers and another veteran, Mason Rudolph, will help his development.
Even though Howard hasn’t seen any on-field game action with the Steelers this year due to a broken finger that kept him out of the preseason, his work ethic has been praised by the coaching staff, and Rodgers has taken Howard under his wing a little bit. When Howard was injured, Rodgers was giving him projects to study on future opponents and help him understand the process of being a quarterback in the NFL.
Even having him run the computer for Rodgers’ weekly meetings can help him hone in on Rodgers’ message and be attentive to what he’s saying to the offense. Rodgers helped mentor Jordan Love with the Packers, and while Love was a first-round pick, he’s developed into one of the better quarterbacks in the league, and he torched the Steelers earlier this year. The relationship between Howard and Rodgers is no doubt a positive, and Howard is clearly relishing his opportunity to learn under one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.
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