3 things to know about Steelers vs Falcons as Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy begin final season together
PITTSBURGH — Following an offseason full of change, the Pittsburgh Steelers finally hit the field for a game that counts at home at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday.
Here are the top storylines you need to know before the ball is teed up for the matchup with the Atlanta Falcons:
A 22nd-year pro, Rodgers has made it known this will be his last rodeo. He admitted he thought he was done after the Steelers' wild-card playoff loss to the Houston Texans in January, but after seeing McCarthy take over, he was enticed to give it one more go. He said Wednesday after practice the interception he threw that was returned for a touchdown in that postseason defeat had "zero" bearing on his choice to return.
In taking play calls from McCarthy, Rodgers anticipates one challenge in particular — the coach's Pittsburgh accent.
“It’s tough sometimes," Rodgers said, laughing. "That’s why you really gotta study the plan, because he’ll say a word that if you just spell it out — even if you’re doing ‘Hooked on Phonics’ — it would not sound anywhere near what he’s saying. So you gotta know the plan pretty well to fill in the gaps in the language barrier.”
After seeing defenses zero in on DK Metcalf last season, Steelers general manager Omar Khan traded for veteran wideout Michael Pittman Jr. and selected Germie Bernard in the second round of April's draft. Both Metcalf and Pittman were banged up during training camp but are healthy rounding into Week 1.
The few weeks on the sideline helped Pittman get up to speed, as backward as that sounds.
“It helped me be able to process things, because obviously sometimes when you’re playing, (you’re) trying to process at the same time, but I felt like I really took that three-week period and I took the next step in this offense,” Pittman said Monday. “Getting back, I feel like I didn’t really lose a step. I actually feel like I’m better on some of the signals and the operations.”
Having seen fellow young cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez reset the market with contract extensions with Seattle and New England, respectively, Porter wants to be paid what he thinks he deserves, as well. McCarthy said Monday negotiations were ongoing, but factor in that the Steelers don't discussion contract negotiations once the season gets underway, and that puts a pretty clear deadline on things.
Steelers mainstay Cam Heyward supported Porter on Wednesday, saying, “I’d like for everybody to get paid, and I’d like for everybody to be taken care of. I’m not gonna act like I have every answer to a negotiation. As a player, selfishly, I’d like everything to be done so we can focus and just continue to be locked in, but guys gotta get their business done, and that’s part of the game. And you don’t run from that.”
