June 12, 2025 • 28 mins
Ben Roethlisberger is arguably the best Steeler of the 21st century, and he was followed up by Russell Wilson for only one season, and now Aaron Rodgers comes to town. How do all three legendary QBs line up against each other.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
This podcast is something else. It always does it. It
always delivers. Every time we hit the walk off and say,
all right, we'll talk to you later in the week,
a something derails us and we can't talk to you
later in the week because I was at mini camp
earlier this week, so we missed our earlier episode and
b Rogers signed, like what two hours after we wrapped
up on three.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
That was the only time we've ever ended the show
by saying, hey, by next time we talk, Aaron Rodgers
will have been signed.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
We never said that, ever said it before. That's right,
It's so the one time we said it, it happened.
Just listen to that last episode, no other one. Yeah,
because that's the only You're right. It's like we are
batting a thousand on that and really pat on the
back to us because so many people tried to call
their shot and say, hey, maybe by this point we'll
have them, and we were the only ones that did
(00:57):
it once and got it right. So Rogers is here
number eight. I loved when he initially signed way back
last Thursday, damn a week ago. Now he's been a
stealer for for a week. How does that feel?
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Happy? One week annivers one.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
I loved when he initially signed and people were photoshopping
him into number twelve New Jerseys.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Don't do that.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Could you be a little more unaware exposing yourself if
you don't know ball? Come on, guys, we just did
this last Why do you think he was number eight
last two seasons in New York? This is the same
thing all time great number twelve. It was funny to
me that people had him like in their AI videos
or photoshops as number twelve. Little details matter to me
(01:43):
because I'm a huge nerd.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Was there a phone call to a mister Kenny Pikett
okay or Tom Maddock?
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I thought you were gonna go to Terry Bradshaw.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Now to Tommy Maddox to say I take over number eight.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Steak dinner Capitol girl. Sure, Kenny, when you come in
town week six, if you're still on the team, I'll
take you out to a nice seafood dinner.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Kenny. If your hand is bigger than the steak, I'll
pay for your dinner.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
So Aaron Rodgers adds to the long lineage of great
quarterbacks to whar the number eight for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hey,
I like Tommy Maddox. You'll never get me.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
To say a word about it. You know what, super
Bowl champion, Tommy Maddox, what are you talking about?
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Facts? Can you pick Ittt also a Super Bowl champion?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
True, but not here, so I don't care.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
But man, Tommy Maddox was like the quarterback right when
I was coming online, rightly U two as a football fan,
And hey, how blessed are we that it was basically
right around that same time that Big Ben got dropped
in our lapse and it was just childhoods of bliss
and dominance as football fans. Really, kudos to us to
being so lucky.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I mean, once again, like we talked about the history
of having solid backup quarterbacks, to think that they had
Ben at the starting but then had Tommy and Charlie
in the wings.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Yeah, it was a good spot to have a quarterback
drafted in the first round, land especially one coming out
of the MAC, because you're like, you don't know how
there's some questions going to go, but well that's even
lower than the MAC. But boy, those questions were answered
very quickly. Charlie gets injured, unfortunately, and then Tommy Maddox
gets injured. Unfortunately, and then it turned out that it
(03:24):
was kind of no offense to those guys. Very fortunate
that they got injured, because fifteen straight wins in your.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Face, well was it. Charlie got hurt during the.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
The preseason, so Ben moved up to two and.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Then Tommy got her like week one, week two.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Yeah, and then they lost that game in Week two
against and came in in relief. But then it was
no losses until the Patriots in the playoffs from that
point on. Okay, So we went on a weird Ben tangent.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
There, It's okay, that's okay.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Here, I'll bring it back. You're ready for me to
bring it back? Yeah, this is going to be. And
Matt Williams and I talked about this a lot on Tuesday.
The best quarterback play that we have seen from the
Steelers since pre surgery. Sure, sure, yes, even look Russ
had some moments, but he ain't our guy. He ain't
(04:13):
big Ben. So like even post Ben surgery, I'm still
gonna give him the hat tip. For these past few
years that we've had. I mean, hey, the ceilings have
been the same among all the quarterbacks, right less in
the first round and not in a particularly flattering fashion.
So I'm gonna give the old hat tip to number
seven before all time great and now you have a
quarterback that again isn't great anymore, isn't elite anymore, but
(04:36):
he is definitely the best that you've seen since Ben.
And no offense to Russell Wilson because he was at
that Hall of Fame level too. And we had these
same kind of moments last year. It was around like
April last year when we knew that Russ was coming,
but we had these moments of excitement like, Wow, hall
of Fame quarterback coming to Pittsburgh, Like we know what
(04:57):
this is about because of Ben Roethlisberger with a kind
of like aura that he carries with him. But Rogers
is a different beast altogether. Yeah, Like Ben was higher
in the club, Like if you get into the you know,
VIP club for quarterbacks all time, and it's like a
tier system where it's like you can get to the
highest floor of the club if you're Tom Brady, if
you're Joe Montana, if you're tear like you know what
(05:19):
I mean, Like if you're Manning, if you're Marino. Uh,
And Ben was higher up in the club then Russell
Wilson was sure. I think you could say that Ben
and Rogers are on pretty equal footing in the club
right now. I give the slight edge to Ben. I mean,
he's our guy. Come on, but let's talk about some
(05:42):
facts too. Two super Bowl rings, and you want to
talk about statistics.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
I mean top ten and basically everything.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
And I know Rogers is going to pass him, ironically
in a Steelers jersey. But Ben's number five all time
in passing yards right now, and Rogers is only a
thousand and yards and some change behind him. So he's
gonna he's a healthy year, and hopefully it's a healthy year,
he's going to pass Ben. But look, they have played
for a similar amount of time because remember Rogers started
a little bit later. It took Rogers up until towards
(06:11):
what might be his last year to get into that
top five, just like Ben Roethlisberger.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
But you know that's what happens now.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
The touchdowns are the difference, right, Like Rogers has throwing
a lot more and a lot less interceptions. But Rogers
and all time greats are so great at different things.
Rogers was that just absolute pure arm talent quarterback, Like.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
You've You've never seen someone work the football better than Aaron.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Rodgers before Mahomes.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
I mean I think that, but even so like, but
even so like, Yes, Mahomes has style points, but the accuracy.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Rogers is just a like he flicks the wrists. Yeah,
so a weird kind of like style. Every great has
their thing and Rogers has that and people and that
is very you know, it's art, right.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Oh yeah. I remember the season following the Super Bowl
wing against the Steelers when they went fifteen to one
and he won his first MVP. I don't think I'd
ever seen until Patrick Mahomes came someone be better at
a specific position in football in my life.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Then you look at Ben Roethlisberger. It's it's a different
kind of art, right, yeah, right, It's like rock and
roll music.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
It's like crash, it's a little right like.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
And like pump fake that makes the camera go oh.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
That might have been my favorite part about Ben. It's
the pump fake and tricking out the cameraman.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
So they're they're great in their different ways. You give
the a little bit of edge to Ben. He's got
the two rings. It is such a weird little get
out of jail free card. I don't want to call
it a trump card, because then that means he wins
the argument that Rogers won his ring against Ben Right,
but that would have.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Been his third if you're talking about bet and Aaron
never got back.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Never got back to the super Bowl. So you know,
I think that they are very equal as far as
the footing is concerned. Now, as far as a national
they're gonna go, they're gonna go v Right, and they're
gonna say that separates him completely.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
And the touchdown in interception ratio, the completion percentage, all
that stuff.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Of course, of course they're gonna say that stuff. But
I think that when you look at kind of the
grand scheme of it, the big picture of quarterback play
very neck and neck. And that's why I feel comfortable
saying you're getting somebody that's on that level again, you're
getting somebody that is going to be that guy. And
(08:30):
I'm not saying in his prime Ben Roethlisberger or in
his prime Aaron Rodgers. But to bring it back to
what Matt and it is the best that you're gonna
see since that era.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I don't want to I don't want to sound like, oh,
I'm just walking back my statements from last year because
we were all in our RUSS last year and now
he's got I want to I don't want it to
sound like, oh, well, he's on as good as we
But you had to look at the career of Russell Wilson.
He is a potential Hall of Famer. He is someone
that had a great NFL career while he was in Seattle.
(09:04):
Primarily once he left it, it obviously fell off, but
he was a potential Hall of Fame quarterback. He put
up great numbers. But you've never heard people talk about
Russell Wilson the way they talk about Ben Roethlisberger and
Aaron Rodgers. So to that point, like this is by
I completely agree with that. This is by far going
to be the best play you get out of someone
(09:26):
not named Ben at the quarterback position.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
You know, Russell Wilson, yes, has to say this is so,
this is so fun about radio.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
It's like such revision. You don't want to sound like
it's revision is history.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
But because last year we were pumping Russell right, right.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Right, which was fair because at the time that Russell
Wilson was miles ahead, miles and miles and miles ahead,
of Mitch and Kenny and Mason and all those guys
that came before.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Well, that's the beauty of radio. Jacob is like on
one side of the fence and you're right, uh huh.
And now we're on the other side of the fence,
and you know what, there's some good points on the
other side of the fence.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
But guess what, I'm right again.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Here's a couple of things that I'll bring up when
it comes to Russ and one will actually be pumping
his tires so we can come back around and kind
of smoot him a little bit because he had some moments,
some memories last year.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Oh absolutely, that Washington game. We were when they got
to ten and three, we were all in.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
But back to what you said about no one looks
at Ben Roethlisberger, no one looks at Aaron Rodgers, and
no one looks at Russell Wilson. Kind of in that
same light, Russell Wilson, Yes, probably going to go into
the Hall of Fame, right, Yes, has a Super Bowl ring.
He is a franchises icon, like he is the best
Seattle Seahawks of all time. So there's a lot that
is pushing momentum towards him getting his jacket in Canton.
(10:39):
But what's the thing that people remember most about Russell
Wilson tell me throwing the interception at the goal on
Oh okay, okay, Yeah, it's kind of a yeah, I
mean that's right, Ben Roethlisberger.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
And I won't even say that's I would say more
is just the play call.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
In general, right, but Russ is wrapped up in and all. Yeah, right,
of course, something of course with him, Ben Roethlisberger, the drive,
the past, Antonio Holmes, Aaron Rodgers, not really a moment
in that Super Bowl against the Steelers, but just a
career of like this guy, I.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Would yeah, like not even that, the ability to win
games like the hail Mary's he threw, or do you
remember do you remember do you remember the Dallas playoff
game where he threw that sideline He's rolling left, he's
rolling the wrong way, throwing left and I don't know
who it is which random receiver, Yeah, had to do
(11:34):
a tiptoe catch on the sideline.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Is that the same game where it's the famous snapchat
meme of the guy with the handlebar mustache in the
Aaron Rodgers jersey at Dallas? I think so he says,
they're all celebrating.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Yeah, and there's like there's thirty three seconds left on.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
The clock, right, and they're they're celebrating yeah, and he's
smiling ear to ear and guess what, maybe that's not
the game that that memes from, But there are so
many shus where that happened. And that's what Rogers is
running for. The hail Mary's one. Though. That's a great
call by you, Like that's you think back of the
one iconic thing. It's like those hail.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Mare he just couldn't No one could do it better.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
There was that time where he had the and this
is kind of faded from him and now other quarterbacks
have that now, but he had that vibe of like
this dude's a vampire, Like you can't kill him, Like
there's ten seconds on the clock, he's not dead. Like
it's almost like you have to triple check when the
clocks hits quadruple zeros, like is he really dead? Like
is there not a bonus like thirty seconds on the clock.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
That's why always coming back, you know, I've I've always
said this, even if Ben had led that touchdown drive
against the Packers, like there was gonna be some time
left on the clock.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Oh yeah, I mean it was never done and dusted,
But hey, our defense was ass kicking that year, so
I would have liked to have at least had the
chance to stop him.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
But still we'd be pretty damn I think.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
We would have been sweating below an airplane like the guy.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Oh yeah, we would have. If you would have won
it this, we would have won that game.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
We would have woken up and be like, are we
sure Rogers didn't have a time down drive at the
end of the Dame Listen, that's kind of well, actually,
back then, mystique wasn't really there yet for him. Sure, right,
that's exactly the kind of thing that I was talking about.
After he became the prime Rogers and won the MVPs,
it was just like you woke up on Monday morning,
like we beat him, right, Like he's not gonna push
some trick, Like, oh my god, the game's happening still,
(13:15):
Like Rogers has that aura about him. Ben has the
aura about the Cardinals game, and also being so young
when he won his first Super Bowl and bursting onto
the scene. Yeah, oh, you want to talk about.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
A thirteen or oh was a rookie winning the Super
Bowl the next year, winning another super Bowl two years
after that, like getting to another super Bowl two years
after that.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Yes, it was a burst onto the scene for Ben
Roethlisberger as a rookie. So yeah, there are iconic moments
that you think of when you think of those guys.
And unfortunately, again this is really not Russ's fault all
the way, but the moment that you first come to
mind with Russ is a bad moment, whereas the other Yeah, yeah,
so yeah, I think that really backs up your point
that they're just not in the same breath.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
I also think too, like there isn't an iconic moment
or feature of Russ and the positive that comes to mind,
and that kind of hurts his image as well.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
You know what else that.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Right, like like what like when you think of the
offense in Seattle, Yes, you think of Russell Wilson, but
you think the offensive moment is is Marshawn in beast mode?
Speaker 1 (14:14):
For that that's beast quake. Yeah, and woman the team
right right, I don't know, like with Seattle, funny enough
if you want to now again, we can go on
the other side of the fence if you want to
bring up like iconic Russ moments. Here's one that you
can think of that would be the come back against
ye come but again, he started that game with four
(14:37):
interceptitions and and remember like he did have the pass
where he threw it up in the air and it
was a jump bone and they caught it.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Jermaine cursed to end the game.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Yeah, but Jacob remember the past, that was the punter
that threw the trick play.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
It was the kicker. Yeah, a big play. No no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
But no. And they had to get an on side
kick too, so there was a lot of recovery. Yeah,
like they needed. But that is the positive thing that
you would go to with Russell Wilson. But more people
will just go right to that Patriots super Bowl. More
people will go to that big blunt.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Oh absolutely.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
And Ben has triumph on the greatest stage. And when
he lost his Super Bowl to Green Bay. You, no,
he didn't play he threw interception, but like, he didn't
play great, but he didn't play bad either, and we
always had that feeling that he was going to bring
him back. Mendenhall was the goat in that game, right,
So the.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Bad goat, right, the bad version.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Ben's worst super Bowl was his first super Bowl and
he won that son of a gun, you know what
I mean, Like he was awful in that game than
he won. So it doesn't matter you get to wash
that away. It's just a good point by you that
like these two separate themselves from Russ, and Russ is
really the only one that we have to do this
kind of case study on in these first fifteen minutes
to prove that he's not in that class because everybody
(15:52):
else is Miles and mind right right right right.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Nine the clothes. I'm gonna go down this whole a
little bit further and talk about the Super Bowl appearances,
because we're focusing more on Russ's second game than his
first game. But even in that first game, Tom, you
remember the defensive juggernaut that came in. It was the
unstoppable force in the Denver Broncos offense led by Peyton
Manning versus the immovable object which was the Legion of
(16:17):
Boom and that entire defense Michael Bennett, Bobby Wagner, And
it was the defense that was the sword. Because the
final score was like forty eight to like thirteen or something,
and a lot of those points came off of pick sixes,
a safety in the end zone, a kickoff return for
a touchdown by Percy Harvin.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Defense won the MVP, right, Like.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
It wasn't, oh, look, how much better the Seattle offense
did compared to the Broncos offense. It was, no, the
Broncos offense got stifled by the Seattle defense.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Yeah, right, overwhelming.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Don Russell just did enough. He didn't lose it, Like,
he didn't give up the game too.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Do anything right right, blowing the game a lot sure,
and they so could have won it. Yeah, Like Russ
just kind of was along for the right but he
did a ton to get there, and he was, oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Such a great that was the year before. I mean again,
I hate to be this guy and like kind of
take away moments from Russ. But the game before the
NFC Championship game, what's the defining moment of that game.
It's Richard Sherman tipping the ball in the end zone
on Michael Gravedrey to get an interception. And then the
the immediate interview that Richard Aaron Andrews who was talking
(17:23):
about you, you know what I mean, Like that's it
was all defense. I know that it was your takeaway
from that season.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Danity of that Seattle Seahawk era. Here's another thing that
has a little feather in Ben's cap. Yeah, Rodgers has
the four m vps and that's nice.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
I know, I know where you're going.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
But neither Rogers nor Russell Wilson ever threw oh okay,
go ahead.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Ever threw for five thousand yards in the season.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
That box. But neither of you two one rookie of
the year. So isn't that crazy? Rodgers Russ lost slay right,
Russ finished in third, and he finished in the third
amongst quarterbacks that year.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
So RG three must have a Rookie of the Year
that season.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Ye.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Well, and then Andrew.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Luck ah good on.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Yeah, I wasn't sure if that was a year apart
from each other.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Then Luck got one more vote than Russy Wilson did.
Here are the stats that year from those quarterbacks. Robert
Griffin third threw for three thousand, two hundred yards. He
had twenty touchdowns, He had five interceptions, He ran for
eight hundred and fifteen yards and had seven tuties. Andrew
Luck threw for four thousand, three hundred and seventy four yards.
(18:39):
By far the most yards between these guys. He had
twenty three tuties. But as gunslinging quarterbacks tend to do
in a young age, he had eighteen picks that season.
So Luck was just flinging the ball around the yard.
Brought the Colts to the playoffs. Though I believe in
his rookie season, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
I at least it was a reckon. It was like
the next year where they had that game against the
chief where they were down like forty five to something
that at halftime they eventually came.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Back eleven and five. His rookie season, he definitely I'm
not sure what he lost to the Ravens in this
rookie season in the long run, round twenty four to nine.
So luck great quarterback. He also had turned fifty five yards.
He had five rushing touchdowns. Andrew Luck Luck you should
just bos it all right, and then here's Russy's stats.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
It was, by the way, it was the next year
where they had that comeback win.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
He shon his first playoff game that year with the
big comeback.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
His first playoff game, but for second win, yeah, right,
his second game every year.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Russell Wilson finishing third, he had three and eighteen passing yards.
He had twenty six passing touchdowns, so that's more than
the either of the two gentlemen in front of him
ten picks, so that's pretty respectable. And he actually had
four hundred and eighty nine rushing yards with four tutties.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Russ sneaky.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
Not that far of a bad worst season then RG three,
who actually did win the award.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Just RG three had the spectacle of it. I think, yeah,
the biggest audience.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
He was the first round pick, so like he was
the first overall pick. Yeah, wasn't he the same? He
was the second overall pick, was Luckless.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
So I guess it was. So it was RG three
who won the Heisman, but it was Lucky that was the.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
First was the phenix? Yeah, right, was right guy? But
you're so both Andrew and RG three were the first
round but Russ was the third round.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Guy about those.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Guys three, ten and six. Luck win eleven and five
and Russ went eleven and five, Like damn. Talk about
a quick turnaround for immediate impact, right, Like I'm feeling
good right now. If I'm a Colt's Skins or Seahawks
fan back in twenty twelve.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Oh, you could have ended on fan and that would
have been the rhyme right there.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
It did not pan out for really, two of those
teams that kind of all three No.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
No, you're right, you're right, you're right. Right, you're more
than you're you're right, you're right, you're right. But yeah,
the two that took the first round.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Guys, nothing the Colts could do. They were on a great.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Path just and they have not gotten back to it since.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
No, I mean, that's tough to have happened. And then
RG three in Washington, I mean, they're so they changed
names the team, Like that's how far away?
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Yeah, right, but they're okay now at least we think
that's truly we think so we thought they were back then.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
You know, that's actually kind of a good point, like, hey,
they went ten and six with RG three.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
And he and they want to go more modern of
an example, Houston a little bit of a cautionary tale,
even though they did win a playoff game this year.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
I think they're a better run franchise than they were
then though. And yeah, Trot Jay and Daniels down there
with knee in the in the playoff game. Remember, oh,
you're right, he lost that playoff game, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Yeah, Seattle was on the road, right, maybe.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Rush should have been rookie the other year, like he
kind of did.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
But again, I mean, you can't you can't include the
postseason performance. And I was just saying, like, but yeah,
maybe he did. Yeah, right. He was the only one
of those three to win a playoff game his rookie year.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
But Ben Roethlisberger did take Rookie of the Year.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Ben Roethlisberger also led the league.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
In passing yards for two seasons in his career, once
in twenty fourteen and once in twenty eighteen. But you
get Rogers now, and he is the four time MVP,
and he's led the league in this and he's led
the league in that. And Jacob I was getting fatigued.
We heard it on the show, like waiting for this
and being like is it really even worth it? And
(22:24):
it's like, uh, like, I'm so done with this. And
Rogers has been very outspoken and has gone in different
directions with certain things lately. I'm not breaking any news there,
and opinions can change on people Like I can think
that someone's great and then I can hear him say
certain things and I'd be like, yeah, I don't really
agree with that, so I think you're kind of sounding
dumb there. It's my own opinion, though we're all alloud
(22:45):
to have him. And but before you know, Rogers really
kind of became more I don't want to say became
more of a celebrity, but kind of just became more
out there. I'll leave it there. He was like one
of my favorite player. How can you not be one
of your favorite players in the NFL? Rogers was just
so great.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I think, I think other than Chicago people in Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota,
but also Pittsburgh too, just because he stole your ring
away from you. He did.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
But man, at the same time, like it turnaround where
I was just like I love a sound foot. Rogers
is playing like it was musty TV, right. He just
is such a great.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
Like Mahomes is, Like no one likes Mahomes but you
have to. You have to tune in when he's playing
because it's so good.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
So it's like, this is this really hot chick that
I've always kind of wanted to get with, and I'm
just like, man, like she's looking good, like I really
like her, and then she's crashing out publicly and it's just, oh.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Like I got to take on that kind of crazy yeah,
and it's like.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
You know what, I'm good. Right, it's like things have
gone a little weird and he's at the jets and
it's like why you with him? And it's gross. And
then it's like all of a sudden, she's available again,
and it's like, you know what, I'm over her right,
Like it's over. She's she's drama. I don't want her
and she's not even as hot as she used to
be anyway, and you're like, you know what, I don't
need it. But then she sides into Uri and then
(24:07):
he comes out of that tunnel dressed up in your uniform,
and I'm like, yeah, I'm getting Yeah, she still got it.
Like in person, it feels different. And that's kind of
the analogy that it's sorry to kind of be weird.
I guess gross a little bit with that analogy, but
that is what I.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Feel about it.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
I was just like, all right, I'm done.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
It's this circus is gonna be worth it? Oh, he
looks really good in the Pittsburgh Steeler uniform, and yeah,
he's way better than Mason Rudolph, Like, come on, we
were on that side of the fence, Fron just go
out there with not that much of a drop off
really when you think about it, Oh my god, it's
such a drop off between I love you, Mason. You're
(24:49):
a great backup, but like, boy, oh boy, is it
just a different kind of feel, a different kind of upgrade.
And I'll say this to wrap up this episode and
we'll talk a lot of Rogers in the next one too. Uh.
That was what the vibe was down there on Tuesday,
being there in mini campus, just like it is such
a great buzz in the atmosphere.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
He got a quarterback, like you got a real quarterback,
and you.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Knew it was coming right like you you knew that
it was probably gonna be inevitable. All the talking points
have kind of been talked about, like we didn't do
a show until Nowson's had happened. But you could go
back and listen to X amount of episodes and be like, oh,
what Rogers does do this? Does Rogers making that? Oh,
we covered all the bases tenfold and it was just
(25:29):
so it was just you know, uh uh uh, that's
not a train wreck because it's a bad thing. It
was just an outcome that you could see coming a
mile away, and then it had happened, and it was
just like, yeah, we knew that was gonna kind of
gonna happen. So all those things that we said though
still apply, but now the difference is just that buzz
(25:50):
and the excitement about it and the fact that you know,
you open up your Instagram account and it's him smiling
and putting his arm around d He's in the form.
He's at the facilities, no doubt about it. And he
showed up to mandatory mini camp. Yeah, and you know what, here,
here's the thing, and we'll wrap on this and then
talk a lot more about it. If you were someone
(26:14):
like I was that had been critical about and missing
Ota missing a mini camp, he missed mini camp with
the Jets last year. Not a good look, blah blah blah.
At the end of the day, he signed the contract
and he showed up for what was mandatory for the
Pittsburgh Steelers, right, And I think that that that's a
team that's a team friendly move, right, that's a team
(26:35):
first out of me, first move exactly, And I think
that that should at least be given a slight hat
tip towards because again, what do you want to cookie?
You're doing things you're.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Supposed to writ But he could have said, I have
no obligation to a team that I'm not currently playing.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
He could have done the I'll come in and sign
after minim And I do wonder if the Steelers no
ultimatum was given, like some people were so bloodthirsty for
an ultimatum, right, the Steelers have to say now enough's enough.
But I do wonder if, because we've heard from the
horse's mouth himself now Rogers and the team and everybody,
that there was constant communication between these guys since the
(27:12):
meeting way back in April, March even and March right
into now.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
The March meeting that lasted five six hours, so they
were always in contact with each other.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
They were always kind of talking with each other. I
wonder if there was maybe just like a again, not
an ultimatum, but just like hey, you know in the
Trust Tree Aaron, being honest with each other. We would
really like you to be at mandatory mini camp like
it's it would be really good to have you the
guy the cat and you know what, you butter them
up right, You're like you want the captain of the
(27:44):
ship there man like, we want the leader.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
Oh you'll get to see. We want sea.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
We want guys to like walk around and be like, whoa,
that's Aaron Rodgers in our locker room, you know what
I mean. And then but again I don't think it
was like you better show up for a sort of
I'll rip this contract right up. I think that it
was more just like this would be something that the
team would really appreciate if you could kind of give us. Yeah,
and he was probably like, yeah, you guys have been great,
And he said this in his press One of the
(28:09):
big things that he said was, you know, Mike t
was a big reason why I'm here, And a follow
up question after that, he was just like the way
that he treated me during this whole process with something
that I appreciated. So they gave him all the space
that he possibly needed. We'll get more into maybe some
of the comments that he said in his presser. We'll
talk more about Aaron Rodgers being here and just how
big of a buzz that there is around it, or
(28:31):
maybe if people are still on that kind of skeptical
side of things, we'll talk all that on the Steelers
standard on Steelers Nation Radio and Steelers Audio Network.
This podcast is something else. It always does it. It
always delivers. Every time we hit the walk off and say,
all right, we'll talk to you later in the week,
a something derails us and we can't talk to you
later in the week because I was at mini camp
earlier this week, so we missed our earlier episode and
b Rogers signed, like what two hours after we wrapped
up on three.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
That was the only time we've ever ended the show
by saying, hey, by next time we talk, Aaron Rodgers
will have been signed.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
We never said that, ever said it before. That's right,
It's so the one time we said it, it happened.
Just listen to that last episode, no other one. Yeah,
because that's the only You're right. It's like we are
batting a thousand on that and really pat on the
back to us because so many people tried to call
their shot and say, hey, maybe by this point we'll
have them, and we were the only ones that did
(00:57):
it once and got it right. So Rogers is here
number eight. I loved when he initially signed way back
last Thursday, damn a week ago. Now he's been a
stealer for for a week. How does that feel?
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Happy? One week annivers one.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
I loved when he initially signed and people were photoshopping
him into number twelve New Jerseys.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Don't do that.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Could you be a little more unaware exposing yourself if
you don't know ball? Come on, guys, we just did
this last Why do you think he was number eight
last two seasons in New York? This is the same
thing all time great number twelve. It was funny to
me that people had him like in their AI videos
or photoshops as number twelve. Little details matter to me
(01:43):
because I'm a huge nerd.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Was there a phone call to a mister Kenny Pikett
okay or Tom Maddock?
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I thought you were gonna go to Terry Bradshaw.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Now to Tommy Maddox to say I take over number eight.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Steak dinner Capitol girl. Sure, Kenny, when you come in
town week six, if you're still on the team, I'll
take you out to a nice seafood dinner.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Kenny. If your hand is bigger than the steak, I'll
pay for your dinner.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
So Aaron Rodgers adds to the long lineage of great
quarterbacks to whar the number eight for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hey,
I like Tommy Maddox. You'll never get me.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
To say a word about it. You know what, super
Bowl champion, Tommy Maddox, what are you talking about?
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Facts? Can you pick Ittt also a Super Bowl champion?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
True, but not here, so I don't care.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
But man, Tommy Maddox was like the quarterback right when
I was coming online, rightly U two as a football fan,
And hey, how blessed are we that it was basically
right around that same time that Big Ben got dropped
in our lapse and it was just childhoods of bliss
and dominance as football fans. Really, kudos to us to
being so lucky.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I mean, once again, like we talked about the history
of having solid backup quarterbacks, to think that they had
Ben at the starting but then had Tommy and Charlie
in the wings.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Yeah, it was a good spot to have a quarterback
drafted in the first round, land especially one coming out
of the MAC, because you're like, you don't know how
there's some questions going to go, but well that's even
lower than the MAC. But boy, those questions were answered
very quickly. Charlie gets injured, unfortunately, and then Tommy Maddox
gets injured. Unfortunately, and then it turned out that it
(03:24):
was kind of no offense to those guys. Very fortunate
that they got injured, because fifteen straight wins in your.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Face, well was it. Charlie got hurt during the.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
The preseason, so Ben moved up to two and.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Then Tommy got her like week one, week two.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Yeah, and then they lost that game in Week two
against and came in in relief. But then it was
no losses until the Patriots in the playoffs from that
point on. Okay, So we went on a weird Ben tangent.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
There, It's okay, that's okay.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Here, I'll bring it back. You're ready for me to
bring it back? Yeah, this is going to be. And
Matt Williams and I talked about this a lot on Tuesday.
The best quarterback play that we have seen from the
Steelers since pre surgery. Sure, sure, yes, even look Russ
had some moments, but he ain't our guy. He ain't
(04:13):
big Ben. So like even post Ben surgery, I'm still
gonna give him the hat tip. For these past few
years that we've had. I mean, hey, the ceilings have
been the same among all the quarterbacks, right less in
the first round and not in a particularly flattering fashion.
So I'm gonna give the old hat tip to number
seven before all time great and now you have a
quarterback that again isn't great anymore, isn't elite anymore, but
(04:36):
he is definitely the best that you've seen since Ben.
And no offense to Russell Wilson because he was at
that Hall of Fame level too. And we had these
same kind of moments last year. It was around like
April last year when we knew that Russ was coming,
but we had these moments of excitement like, Wow, hall
of Fame quarterback coming to Pittsburgh, Like we know what
(04:57):
this is about because of Ben Roethlisberger with a kind
of like aura that he carries with him. But Rogers
is a different beast altogether. Yeah, Like Ben was higher
in the club, Like if you get into the you know,
VIP club for quarterbacks all time, and it's like a
tier system where it's like you can get to the
highest floor of the club if you're Tom Brady, if
you're Joe Montana, if you're tear like you know what
(05:19):
I mean, Like if you're Manning, if you're Marino. Uh,
And Ben was higher up in the club then Russell
Wilson was sure. I think you could say that Ben
and Rogers are on pretty equal footing in the club
right now. I give the slight edge to Ben. I mean,
he's our guy. Come on, but let's talk about some
(05:42):
facts too. Two super Bowl rings, and you want to
talk about statistics.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
I mean top ten and basically everything.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
And I know Rogers is going to pass him, ironically
in a Steelers jersey. But Ben's number five all time
in passing yards right now, and Rogers is only a
thousand and yards and some change behind him. So he's
gonna he's a healthy year, and hopefully it's a healthy year,
he's going to pass Ben. But look, they have played
for a similar amount of time because remember Rogers started
a little bit later. It took Rogers up until towards
(06:11):
what might be his last year to get into that
top five, just like Ben Roethlisberger.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
But you know that's what happens now.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
The touchdowns are the difference, right, Like Rogers has throwing
a lot more and a lot less interceptions. But Rogers
and all time greats are so great at different things.
Rogers was that just absolute pure arm talent quarterback, Like.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
You've You've never seen someone work the football better than Aaron.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Rodgers before Mahomes.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
I mean I think that, but even so like, but
even so like, Yes, Mahomes has style points, but the accuracy.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Rogers is just a like he flicks the wrists. Yeah,
so a weird kind of like style. Every great has
their thing and Rogers has that and people and that
is very you know, it's art, right.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Oh yeah. I remember the season following the Super Bowl
wing against the Steelers when they went fifteen to one
and he won his first MVP. I don't think I'd
ever seen until Patrick Mahomes came someone be better at
a specific position in football in my life.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Then you look at Ben Roethlisberger. It's it's a different
kind of art, right, yeah, right, It's like rock and
roll music.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
It's like crash, it's a little right like.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
And like pump fake that makes the camera go oh.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
That might have been my favorite part about Ben. It's
the pump fake and tricking out the cameraman.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
So they're they're great in their different ways. You give
the a little bit of edge to Ben. He's got
the two rings. It is such a weird little get
out of jail free card. I don't want to call
it a trump card, because then that means he wins
the argument that Rogers won his ring against Ben Right,
but that would have.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Been his third if you're talking about bet and Aaron
never got back.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Never got back to the super Bowl. So you know,
I think that they are very equal as far as
the footing is concerned. Now, as far as a national
they're gonna go, they're gonna go v Right, and they're
gonna say that separates him completely.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
And the touchdown in interception ratio, the completion percentage, all
that stuff.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Of course, of course they're gonna say that stuff. But
I think that when you look at kind of the
grand scheme of it, the big picture of quarterback play
very neck and neck. And that's why I feel comfortable
saying you're getting somebody that's on that level again, you're
getting somebody that is going to be that guy. And
(08:30):
I'm not saying in his prime Ben Roethlisberger or in
his prime Aaron Rodgers. But to bring it back to
what Matt and it is the best that you're gonna
see since that era.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I don't want to I don't want to sound like, oh,
I'm just walking back my statements from last year because
we were all in our RUSS last year and now
he's got I want to I don't want it to
sound like, oh, well, he's on as good as we
But you had to look at the career of Russell Wilson.
He is a potential Hall of Famer. He is someone
that had a great NFL career while he was in Seattle.
(09:04):
Primarily once he left it, it obviously fell off, but
he was a potential Hall of Fame quarterback. He put
up great numbers. But you've never heard people talk about
Russell Wilson the way they talk about Ben Roethlisberger and
Aaron Rodgers. So to that point, like this is by
I completely agree with that. This is by far going
to be the best play you get out of someone
(09:26):
not named Ben at the quarterback position.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
You know, Russell Wilson, yes, has to say this is so,
this is so fun about radio.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
It's like such revision. You don't want to sound like
it's revision is history.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
But because last year we were pumping Russell right, right.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Right, which was fair because at the time that Russell
Wilson was miles ahead, miles and miles and miles ahead,
of Mitch and Kenny and Mason and all those guys
that came before.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Well, that's the beauty of radio. Jacob is like on
one side of the fence and you're right, uh huh.
And now we're on the other side of the fence,
and you know what, there's some good points on the
other side of the fence.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
But guess what, I'm right again.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Here's a couple of things that I'll bring up when
it comes to Russ and one will actually be pumping
his tires so we can come back around and kind
of smoot him a little bit because he had some moments,
some memories last year.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Oh absolutely, that Washington game. We were when they got
to ten and three, we were all in.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
But back to what you said about no one looks
at Ben Roethlisberger, no one looks at Aaron Rodgers, and
no one looks at Russell Wilson. Kind of in that
same light, Russell Wilson, Yes, probably going to go into
the Hall of Fame, right, Yes, has a Super Bowl ring.
He is a franchises icon, like he is the best
Seattle Seahawks of all time. So there's a lot that
is pushing momentum towards him getting his jacket in Canton.
(10:39):
But what's the thing that people remember most about Russell
Wilson tell me throwing the interception at the goal on
Oh okay, okay, Yeah, it's kind of a yeah, I
mean that's right, Ben Roethlisberger.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
And I won't even say that's I would say more
is just the play call.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
In general, right, but Russ is wrapped up in and all. Yeah, right,
of course, something of course with him, Ben Roethlisberger, the drive,
the past, Antonio Holmes, Aaron Rodgers, not really a moment
in that Super Bowl against the Steelers, but just a
career of like this guy, I.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Would yeah, like not even that, the ability to win
games like the hail Mary's he threw, or do you
remember do you remember do you remember the Dallas playoff
game where he threw that sideline He's rolling left, he's
rolling the wrong way, throwing left and I don't know
who it is which random receiver, Yeah, had to do
(11:34):
a tiptoe catch on the sideline.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Is that the same game where it's the famous snapchat
meme of the guy with the handlebar mustache in the
Aaron Rodgers jersey at Dallas? I think so he says,
they're all celebrating.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Yeah, and there's like there's thirty three seconds left on.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
The clock, right, and they're they're celebrating yeah, and he's
smiling ear to ear and guess what, maybe that's not
the game that that memes from, But there are so
many shus where that happened. And that's what Rogers is
running for. The hail Mary's one. Though. That's a great
call by you, Like that's you think back of the
one iconic thing. It's like those hail.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Mare he just couldn't No one could do it better.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
There was that time where he had the and this
is kind of faded from him and now other quarterbacks
have that now, but he had that vibe of like
this dude's a vampire, Like you can't kill him, Like
there's ten seconds on the clock, he's not dead. Like
it's almost like you have to triple check when the
clocks hits quadruple zeros, like is he really dead? Like
is there not a bonus like thirty seconds on the clock.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
That's why always coming back, you know, I've I've always
said this, even if Ben had led that touchdown drive
against the Packers, like there was gonna be some time
left on the clock.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Oh yeah, I mean it was never done and dusted,
But hey, our defense was ass kicking that year, so
I would have liked to have at least had the
chance to stop him.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
But still we'd be pretty damn I think.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
We would have been sweating below an airplane like the guy.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Oh yeah, we would have. If you would have won
it this, we would have won that game.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
We would have woken up and be like, are we
sure Rogers didn't have a time down drive at the
end of the Dame Listen, that's kind of well, actually,
back then, mystique wasn't really there yet for him. Sure, right,
that's exactly the kind of thing that I was talking about.
After he became the prime Rogers and won the MVPs,
it was just like you woke up on Monday morning,
like we beat him, right, Like he's not gonna push
some trick, Like, oh my god, the game's happening still,
(13:15):
Like Rogers has that aura about him. Ben has the
aura about the Cardinals game, and also being so young
when he won his first Super Bowl and bursting onto
the scene. Yeah, oh, you want to talk about.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
A thirteen or oh was a rookie winning the Super
Bowl the next year, winning another super Bowl two years
after that, like getting to another super Bowl two years
after that.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Yes, it was a burst onto the scene for Ben
Roethlisberger as a rookie. So yeah, there are iconic moments
that you think of when you think of those guys.
And unfortunately, again this is really not Russ's fault all
the way, but the moment that you first come to
mind with Russ is a bad moment, whereas the other Yeah, yeah,
so yeah, I think that really backs up your point
that they're just not in the same breath.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
I also think too, like there isn't an iconic moment
or feature of Russ and the positive that comes to mind,
and that kind of hurts his image as well.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
You know what else that.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Right, like like what like when you think of the
offense in Seattle, Yes, you think of Russell Wilson, but
you think the offensive moment is is Marshawn in beast mode?
Speaker 1 (14:14):
For that that's beast quake. Yeah, and woman the team
right right, I don't know, like with Seattle, funny enough
if you want to now again, we can go on
the other side of the fence if you want to
bring up like iconic Russ moments. Here's one that you
can think of that would be the come back against
ye come but again, he started that game with four
(14:37):
interceptitions and and remember like he did have the pass
where he threw it up in the air and it
was a jump bone and they caught it.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Jermaine cursed to end the game.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Yeah, but Jacob remember the past, that was the punter
that threw the trick play.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
It was the kicker. Yeah, a big play. No no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
But no. And they had to get an on side
kick too, so there was a lot of recovery. Yeah,
like they needed. But that is the positive thing that
you would go to with Russell Wilson. But more people
will just go right to that Patriots super Bowl. More
people will go to that big blunt.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Oh absolutely.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
And Ben has triumph on the greatest stage. And when
he lost his Super Bowl to Green Bay. You, no,
he didn't play he threw interception, but like, he didn't
play great, but he didn't play bad either, and we
always had that feeling that he was going to bring
him back. Mendenhall was the goat in that game, right,
So the.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Bad goat, right, the bad version.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Ben's worst super Bowl was his first super Bowl and
he won that son of a gun, you know what
I mean, Like he was awful in that game than
he won. So it doesn't matter you get to wash
that away. It's just a good point by you that
like these two separate themselves from Russ, and Russ is
really the only one that we have to do this
kind of case study on in these first fifteen minutes
to prove that he's not in that class because everybody
(15:52):
else is Miles and mind right right right right.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Nine the clothes. I'm gonna go down this whole a
little bit further and talk about the Super Bowl appearances,
because we're focusing more on Russ's second game than his
first game. But even in that first game, Tom, you
remember the defensive juggernaut that came in. It was the
unstoppable force in the Denver Broncos offense led by Peyton
Manning versus the immovable object which was the Legion of
(16:17):
Boom and that entire defense Michael Bennett, Bobby Wagner, And
it was the defense that was the sword. Because the
final score was like forty eight to like thirteen or something,
and a lot of those points came off of pick sixes,
a safety in the end zone, a kickoff return for
a touchdown by Percy Harvin.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Defense won the MVP, right, Like.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
It wasn't, oh, look, how much better the Seattle offense
did compared to the Broncos offense. It was, no, the
Broncos offense got stifled by the Seattle defense.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Yeah, right, overwhelming.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Don Russell just did enough. He didn't lose it, Like,
he didn't give up the game too.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Do anything right right, blowing the game a lot sure,
and they so could have won it. Yeah, Like Russ
just kind of was along for the right but he
did a ton to get there, and he was, oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Such a great that was the year before. I mean again,
I hate to be this guy and like kind of
take away moments from Russ. But the game before the
NFC Championship game, what's the defining moment of that game.
It's Richard Sherman tipping the ball in the end zone
on Michael Gravedrey to get an interception. And then the
the immediate interview that Richard Aaron Andrews who was talking
(17:23):
about you, you know what I mean, Like that's it
was all defense. I know that it was your takeaway
from that season.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Danity of that Seattle Seahawk era. Here's another thing that
has a little feather in Ben's cap. Yeah, Rodgers has
the four m vps and that's nice.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
I know, I know where you're going.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
But neither Rogers nor Russell Wilson ever threw oh okay,
go ahead.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Ever threw for five thousand yards in the season.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
That box. But neither of you two one rookie of
the year. So isn't that crazy? Rodgers Russ lost slay right,
Russ finished in third, and he finished in the third
amongst quarterbacks that year.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
So RG three must have a Rookie of the Year
that season.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Ye.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Well, and then Andrew.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Luck ah good on.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Yeah, I wasn't sure if that was a year apart
from each other.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Then Luck got one more vote than Russy Wilson did.
Here are the stats that year from those quarterbacks. Robert
Griffin third threw for three thousand, two hundred yards. He
had twenty touchdowns, He had five interceptions, He ran for
eight hundred and fifteen yards and had seven tuties. Andrew
Luck threw for four thousand, three hundred and seventy four yards.
(18:39):
By far the most yards between these guys. He had
twenty three tuties. But as gunslinging quarterbacks tend to do
in a young age, he had eighteen picks that season.
So Luck was just flinging the ball around the yard.
Brought the Colts to the playoffs. Though I believe in
his rookie season, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
I at least it was a reckon. It was like
the next year where they had that game against the
chief where they were down like forty five to something
that at halftime they eventually came.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Back eleven and five. His rookie season, he definitely I'm
not sure what he lost to the Ravens in this
rookie season in the long run, round twenty four to nine.
So luck great quarterback. He also had turned fifty five yards.
He had five rushing touchdowns. Andrew Luck Luck you should
just bos it all right, and then here's Russy's stats.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
It was, by the way, it was the next year
where they had that comeback win.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
He shon his first playoff game that year with the
big comeback.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
His first playoff game, but for second win, yeah, right,
his second game every year.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Russell Wilson finishing third, he had three and eighteen passing yards.
He had twenty six passing touchdowns, so that's more than
the either of the two gentlemen in front of him
ten picks, so that's pretty respectable. And he actually had
four hundred and eighty nine rushing yards with four tutties.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Russ sneaky.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
Not that far of a bad worst season then RG three,
who actually did win the award.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Just RG three had the spectacle of it. I think, yeah,
the biggest audience.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
He was the first round pick, so like he was
the first overall pick. Yeah, wasn't he the same? He
was the second overall pick, was Luckless.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
So I guess it was. So it was RG three
who won the Heisman, but it was Lucky that was the.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
First was the phenix? Yeah, right, was right guy? But
you're so both Andrew and RG three were the first
round but Russ was the third round.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Guy about those.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Guys three, ten and six. Luck win eleven and five
and Russ went eleven and five, Like damn. Talk about
a quick turnaround for immediate impact, right, Like I'm feeling
good right now. If I'm a Colt's Skins or Seahawks
fan back in twenty twelve.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Oh, you could have ended on fan and that would
have been the rhyme right there.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
It did not pan out for really, two of those
teams that kind of all three No.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
No, you're right, you're right, you're right. Right, you're more
than you're you're right, you're right, you're right. But yeah,
the two that took the first round.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Guys, nothing the Colts could do. They were on a great.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Path just and they have not gotten back to it since.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
No, I mean, that's tough to have happened. And then
RG three in Washington, I mean, they're so they changed
names the team, Like that's how far away?
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Yeah, right, but they're okay now at least we think
that's truly we think so we thought they were back then.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
You know, that's actually kind of a good point, like, hey,
they went ten and six with RG three.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
And he and they want to go more modern of
an example, Houston a little bit of a cautionary tale,
even though they did win a playoff game this year.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
I think they're a better run franchise than they were
then though. And yeah, Trot Jay and Daniels down there
with knee in the in the playoff game. Remember, oh,
you're right, he lost that playoff game, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Yeah, Seattle was on the road, right, maybe.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Rush should have been rookie the other year, like he
kind of did.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
But again, I mean, you can't you can't include the
postseason performance. And I was just saying, like, but yeah,
maybe he did. Yeah, right. He was the only one
of those three to win a playoff game his rookie year.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
But Ben Roethlisberger did take Rookie of the Year.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Ben Roethlisberger also led the league.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
In passing yards for two seasons in his career, once
in twenty fourteen and once in twenty eighteen. But you
get Rogers now, and he is the four time MVP,
and he's led the league in this and he's led
the league in that. And Jacob I was getting fatigued.
We heard it on the show, like waiting for this
and being like is it really even worth it? And
(22:24):
it's like, uh, like, I'm so done with this. And
Rogers has been very outspoken and has gone in different
directions with certain things lately. I'm not breaking any news there,
and opinions can change on people Like I can think
that someone's great and then I can hear him say
certain things and I'd be like, yeah, I don't really
agree with that, so I think you're kind of sounding
dumb there. It's my own opinion, though we're all alloud
(22:45):
to have him. And but before you know, Rogers really
kind of became more I don't want to say became
more of a celebrity, but kind of just became more
out there. I'll leave it there. He was like one
of my favorite player. How can you not be one
of your favorite players in the NFL? Rogers was just
so great.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I think, I think other than Chicago people in Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota,
but also Pittsburgh too, just because he stole your ring
away from you. He did.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
But man, at the same time, like it turnaround where
I was just like I love a sound foot. Rogers
is playing like it was musty TV, right. He just
is such a great.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
Like Mahomes is, Like no one likes Mahomes but you
have to. You have to tune in when he's playing
because it's so good.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
So it's like, this is this really hot chick that
I've always kind of wanted to get with, and I'm
just like, man, like she's looking good, like I really
like her, and then she's crashing out publicly and it's just, oh.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Like I got to take on that kind of crazy yeah,
and it's like.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
You know what, I'm good. Right, it's like things have
gone a little weird and he's at the jets and
it's like why you with him? And it's gross. And
then it's like all of a sudden, she's available again,
and it's like, you know what, I'm over her right,
Like it's over. She's she's drama. I don't want her
and she's not even as hot as she used to
be anyway, and you're like, you know what, I don't
need it. But then she sides into Uri and then
(24:07):
he comes out of that tunnel dressed up in your uniform,
and I'm like, yeah, I'm getting Yeah, she still got it.
Like in person, it feels different. And that's kind of
the analogy that it's sorry to kind of be weird.
I guess gross a little bit with that analogy, but
that is what I.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Feel about it.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
I was just like, all right, I'm done.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
It's this circus is gonna be worth it? Oh, he
looks really good in the Pittsburgh Steeler uniform, and yeah,
he's way better than Mason Rudolph, Like, come on, we
were on that side of the fence, Fron just go
out there with not that much of a drop off
really when you think about it, Oh my god, it's
such a drop off between I love you, Mason. You're
(24:49):
a great backup, but like, boy, oh boy, is it
just a different kind of feel, a different kind of upgrade.
And I'll say this to wrap up this episode and
we'll talk a lot of Rogers in the next one too. Uh.
That was what the vibe was down there on Tuesday,
being there in mini campus, just like it is such
a great buzz in the atmosphere.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
He got a quarterback, like you got a real quarterback,
and you.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Knew it was coming right like you you knew that
it was probably gonna be inevitable. All the talking points
have kind of been talked about, like we didn't do
a show until Nowson's had happened. But you could go
back and listen to X amount of episodes and be like, oh,
what Rogers does do this? Does Rogers making that? Oh,
we covered all the bases tenfold and it was just
(25:29):
so it was just you know, uh uh uh, that's
not a train wreck because it's a bad thing. It
was just an outcome that you could see coming a
mile away, and then it had happened, and it was
just like, yeah, we knew that was gonna kind of
gonna happen. So all those things that we said though
still apply, but now the difference is just that buzz
(25:50):
and the excitement about it and the fact that you know,
you open up your Instagram account and it's him smiling
and putting his arm around d He's in the form.
He's at the facilities, no doubt about it. And he
showed up to mandatory mini camp. Yeah, and you know what, here,
here's the thing, and we'll wrap on this and then
talk a lot more about it. If you were someone
(26:14):
like I was that had been critical about and missing
Ota missing a mini camp, he missed mini camp with
the Jets last year. Not a good look, blah blah blah.
At the end of the day, he signed the contract
and he showed up for what was mandatory for the
Pittsburgh Steelers, right, And I think that that that's a
team that's a team friendly move, right, that's a team
(26:35):
first out of me, first move exactly, And I think
that that should at least be given a slight hat
tip towards because again, what do you want to cookie?
You're doing things you're.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Supposed to writ But he could have said, I have
no obligation to a team that I'm not currently playing.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
He could have done the I'll come in and sign
after minim And I do wonder if the Steelers no
ultimatum was given, like some people were so bloodthirsty for
an ultimatum, right, the Steelers have to say now enough's enough.
But I do wonder if, because we've heard from the
horse's mouth himself now Rogers and the team and everybody,
that there was constant communication between these guys since the
(27:12):
meeting way back in April, March even and March right
into now.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
The March meeting that lasted five six hours, so they
were always in contact with each other.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
They were always kind of talking with each other. I
wonder if there was maybe just like a again, not
an ultimatum, but just like hey, you know in the
Trust Tree Aaron, being honest with each other. We would
really like you to be at mandatory mini camp like
it's it would be really good to have you the
guy the cat and you know what, you butter them
up right, You're like you want the captain of the
(27:44):
ship there man like, we want the leader.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
Oh you'll get to see. We want sea.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
We want guys to like walk around and be like, whoa,
that's Aaron Rodgers in our locker room, you know what
I mean. And then but again I don't think it
was like you better show up for a sort of
I'll rip this contract right up. I think that it
was more just like this would be something that the
team would really appreciate if you could kind of give us. Yeah,
and he was probably like, yeah, you guys have been great,
And he said this in his press One of the
(28:09):
big things that he said was, you know, Mike t
was a big reason why I'm here, And a follow
up question after that, he was just like the way
that he treated me during this whole process with something
that I appreciated. So they gave him all the space
that he possibly needed. We'll get more into maybe some
of the comments that he said in his presser. We'll
talk more about Aaron Rodgers being here and just how
big of a buzz that there is around it, or
(28:31):
maybe if people are still on that kind of skeptical
side of things, we'll talk all that on the Steelers
standard on Steelers Nation Radio and Steelers Audio Network.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.