Coach Mike Macdonald on what’s challenging about building a scheme against Aaron Rodgers:
“His arm talent, the quarterback ability is there, but Aaron Rodgers, the operator, is second to none. He’s on his game and he knows everything, so you have to assume that going in and not a lot of tricking going on. We’re going to have to win our one on ones to have a good game on defense. We’re going to have to play great run defense and in the pass game, we’re going to have to win our one-on-one battles.”
Macdonald on how they have to adjust the pass rush to account for how Rodgers plays:
“His operation is just really great, that includes throughout the play as well. I mean, it’s Aaron Rodgers for a reason, all those details add up, over such a long period of time.”
Defensive end Leonard Williams on trying to throw Rodgers off his game:
“I think it’s just doing exactly what we do. I think it’s harder to go against scrambling quarterbacks. In those moments, you try to change the way you pass rush, you try to change the way you have gap integrity in the pass rush and stuff like that. Aaron still has an arm. He can still make all the throws in the world. But when it comes to making plays on his feet, I just think he’s not the same as he was when he was younger. So, for us to just getting to the spot, get in his face, get hits on him as much as possible, and just wearing him down.”
Williams on if he will be dropping into coverage this week when facing Rodgers:
“I’m not sure. He definitely made a funny comment after that interception last year when he said, ‘Merry Christmas’. I’m going to see if he remembers that.”
Williams on if Rodgers’ statement was during the game:
“Yeah, that was during the game. I can’t remember if that was before the half. That interception was, I’m pretty sure it was. Yeah, it was like going into the locker room at halftime. He said that.”
Macdonald on how the Steelers are using DK Metcalf differently:
“It’s one game. You have one game of 50 something plays, the things that he does well are the things that they’re doing with him, which is great. It’s runaways, it’s outside lane throws, all the routes that he runs well. He’s running those routes. Frankly, it’s similar to the stuff we did with him last year. We have to be ready for everything, right? They’re allowed to put him anywhere they want. He’s allowed to run any route that they call for him.”
Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba on what he misses most about Metcalf:
“Just having DK around. A great guy, a friend, you can always talk to him and get advice, that’s my guy.”
Smith-Njigba on what DK taught him:
“I respected his approach to the game. What he did off the field to prepare and to make sure he was ready for game days is something that I took from him.”
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