- 2 days ago
On Toucher & Hardy, Albert Breer said the Steelers are going all-in with Aaron Rodgers this season, which puts a lot of pressure on both Rodgers and head coach Mike Tomlin. If they fall short of the playoffs, it could lead to talk of a rebuild and questions about Tomlin’s future. Breer noted Rodgers still has a great arm, but his age and past injuries might hold him back. They also mentioned how Pete Carroll is already making a strong impact with the Raiders.
Image courtesy of USA TODAY NETWORK
Image courtesy of USA TODAY NETWORK
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00:00Burt Breer is in Chicago. He's been to Green Bay, Detroit, Minnesota. He goes to Chicago camp today.
00:07A guy that used to be in Green Bay is Aaron Rodgers. His first pass of camp was intercepted
00:14there in Pittsburgh. But the word out of Pittsburgh sounds like a lot like the word was out of New
00:20York when he first got there. Everyone loves him. He's the best. You know, this is a very
00:28interesting story this year because there's so much pressure on Tomlin and Rodgers. This is like a
00:34legacy thing. Like, I mean, I think this could cost Tomlin his job, which just doesn't happen,
00:41obviously, in Pittsburgh. But, you know, you know that half that fan base, if not more,
00:45wants Tomlin out of there. And if you give you give him this quarterback and, you know,
00:52he wants this quarterback and they don't make the playoffs. What do you think the chances are
00:57he could be gone if they don't make the playoffs? Well, I think, Fred, that would like be more of
01:01an organic thing. You know, I can't remember the last time I saw a team so, like, leveraged into
01:09a single year. Can you? Where there were so many older players where it was like, okay, this guy's
01:17got a year left. This guy's got two years left. This guy maybe has three left. This guy's got a year
01:21left. You go right on down the line and you look at that roster. And I think, I think I made this
01:27analogy with you guys earlier in the offseason where they consciously decided when they looked
01:32at what they had at the time, Minka Fitzpatrick was still there, TJ Watt, Cam Hayward, you know,
01:38the makeup of that team. And it was, we've been pretty good the last few years. But if we, if we,
01:46because they were never bringing Russell Wilson back. So if we go in on Justin Fields, are we going
01:51to be able to get over the top? In other words, do we want to swing and, you know, hit a single
01:57or a double? Or do we want to load up and swing for the fences? So they took a swing of Matthew
02:02Stafford. They wind up with Aaron Rodgers. And, you know, I think, like, from a big picture
02:08perspective, they made that decision, like, we are going all in to see if we can maximize what we've
02:13got left with some of the older guys we have. And so now it's not only TJ Watt and Cam Hayward,
02:20but they trade Fitzpatrick for a guy who's older than him and Jalen Ramsey. They bring in Darius
02:25Slay. They trade for DK Metcalf, who's not older, but is on his third contract as kind of an old
02:3027-year-old. They're very leveraged for this year. And so what you're talking about,
02:37like, after this year or next, they're going to have to reset everything to begin with. So I think
02:43when you, like, use that as your starting point, like, either in 26 or 27, there's probably going to
02:49be a pretty heavy roster reset coming. Well, then isn't that when you ask that question?
02:56Like, I don't think they're going to ever fire Tomlin, but isn't that when you sit down and say,
03:00okay, this is probably going to take two or three years to rebuild this thing and get it back where
03:05we want it again? Do you want to be a part of it? Do we see you as a part of it? Like, I think
03:11they're going to naturally come to that point in the next year or two where those sorts of big
03:15picture questions are going to be asked. This is his 19th year there. So it'll be interesting to
03:20see what happens this year. And then depending on how this year goes, I think those questions sort
03:25of come up naturally.
03:26Do you think that Tomlin would want to stay? And if they don't make the playoffs and he
03:34quote unquote leaves, how does that affect his job market and legacy?
03:38I don't, I think his, well, I think his legacy is secure because he won a Superbowl.
03:44I think he's at the point where it's like he could enhance it, but I mean, going 18 years,
03:49and I know people make fun of this sometimes, but going 18 years without having a losing season in
03:53the NFL is pretty remarkable, you know? So I think it says something about who Mike Tomlin is and
03:58being able to constantly reinvent himself and keep guys motivated, you know?
04:02Um, you know, there's that old, I think it was Pat Riley said it, you know, in the eighties or
04:07whatever that, um, or maybe it was Bill Walsh. It was one of those guys who said something about
04:11like, you know, after 10 years, a coach's message gets stale and they need to change him out. And so
04:16the fact that, you know, he's kind of, you know, been able to have that level of success and maintain
04:22it after losing, um, Ben Roethlisberger is pretty remarkable. Um, but yeah, I mean, I, I think that
04:28there's, there's that idea, like has, you know, like has that program, does that program need
04:34updating and does Mike Tomlin need the reset where he's going to go up and update his own program?
04:39And can that happen in Pittsburgh with them together? Those are the big picture questions.
04:44I think you've got to ask, you know, so much, but I think, but I think you certainly have a market.
04:47I think he'd 100% have a market. Yes. I think he would too, but I just, uh, I guess I'm surprised
04:52or maybe I'm hearing you wrong. Like how much of this depends on Aaron Rogers performance,
04:56because that doesn't have a lot to do with Tomlin. He's his own entity. And I don't think
05:02it's Tomlin's desire to have him there. So how is that true? Is it not Tomlin's desire to have him
05:07there? No, I think Tomlin wanted to have a quarterback he could win with right now. Yeah,
05:11no Tomlin board with this. I mean, this is again, like, this is like, you know, a lot of ways,
05:18this is the price for striking out on Kenny Pickett is that you strike out on Kenny Pickett and like,
05:24based on where they are from a team standpoint, this is Kenny Pickett's, I think fourth year.
05:30So this should be when their first round quarterback from 2022 is just hitting his stride
05:36and is becoming a top quarterback. So they had to do something at the position. And I think they felt
05:43like they could have gotten a good year out of Justin Fields. Um, but they weren't going to level
05:48up the way that they want to level up and, you know, put what's been, you know, an eight,
05:53nine or eight, nine, 10, one team. They aren't going to put that team over the top with Justin
05:58Fields, you know, they needed something more. And so they take this big swing and there's the risk
06:03because of his age and everything else that, um, they use swing and miss, but I think they would
06:08rather swing and miss swinging through the fences than swinging for a single or a double fields.
06:12Didn't turn them down. Well, they had, so he did, but what fields was looking for was guarantees
06:21into, um, guarantees into the second year and, um, a contract that would sort of signify you're
06:29going to give me some real runway to start. And I don't, the, the Steelers, the Steelers were at a
06:35point with fields where I think they were looking at the idea, okay, we bring them back and we want
06:40to keep developing them and we want to keep working with them, but that doesn't mean we
06:44want to walk away from, uh, an opportunity like, like an Aaron Rodgers type of opportunity if it
06:49comes along. Okay. Who do you think they'd be better with Justin Fields or, or Aaron Rodgers?
06:56I mean, if Rodgers plays the way, I mean, like again, like Fred, like if Rodgers plays like the
07:01way he did in a couple of games down the stretch, then Aaron Rodgers, right? Like he can still
07:05really, really throw it, you know, and I've asked some people just, you know, over the last,
07:11you know, like kind of catching up with people the last few days about, about Aaron, his name's
07:15come up and, um, you know, what everybody says is, is the arm talent, like that's still there.
07:22I think the bigger picture question is with Aaron, you know, the Vikings looked at him. I was with them
07:26the other day and, um, you know, their assessment on him, like, you know, they, they, they took a very
07:31hard look at him and the arm talent is all still there. Like what are their questions
07:35were? Is he hanging in the pocket the same way? Right? Like, is he willing to take a hit
07:40the same way? Cause that's what happens with older quarterbacks. Sometimes they're not as
07:43willing to take a hit because their bodies are more beat up. And so their clock speeds
07:46up. So like the question was, is he as willing to, to, to, to take a hit and is he moving around
07:52the same way like that? The answers to both those questions are obvious. It's moving around
07:59the same way, uh, because that's not good. No, cause he can't move, which is, but I, but I,
08:06but, but, but again, like last year was the first year coming back off an Achilles for an older
08:09player. So maybe that looks a little bit better this year. Okay. Let's just, let's get into that
08:15for a second. Uh, do you really believe that he's going to be like fresh as a daisy this year that
08:22like it took that extra time and now a year older and with all that punishment of last season,
08:27his legs going to be 10 times better? I don't know, but, uh, but I, I would say like that
08:33Achilles for an older player is one of those injuries that generally can take an extra year.
08:41Like cousins is the other example, right? Like, so cousins was dealing with the same sort of thing.
08:46And, um, you know, I know for people who looked at cousins tape from last year, what they saw was
08:53a guy who couldn't drive the ball early in the year, couldn't drive the ball the same way.
08:59Um, you know, the first four or five, six weeks, that's what it was. And then there was a game
09:03against Tampa. I think it was the beginning of October where all of a sudden he, okay, he started
09:08to look like himself again. And then he built some momentum and he started to play better.
09:12And then he kind of reverted and you saw the same issues you saw earlier in the year. So
09:17I think for, um, for an older player with that injury, um, that first year can be a little bit
09:24of a minefield. So I, again, like, I'm not saying it's automatic that he's going to come back and
09:28be who he was, you know, even three or four years ago, but there is a chance based on some of the
09:34history with older players with that injury. Well, he wasn't great three years ago. So, uh,
09:38he won 21. Is that right? Or was it? It was 21, right? What would 21 when what he went to the
09:44playoffs last? He won the MVP. Well, he didn't, he didn't win it in 22. And he, I think he
09:51wanted, he wanted two years in a row. That was it 19 and 20 or was it 20 and 21? Cause he
09:55wanted twice with the floor, didn't he? Uh, I don't know. I know that they lost to the
10:00Lions in that last game. It also just seems like that's been a really long three years,
10:05you know, like it has, you're, you're absolutely right. Hardy has, well, he's also gotten into
10:09his forties and he's a prick. So, uh, and he lets the play clock run out. Cause he's analyzing.
10:16I mean, the question is, can he have that far of year? You know what I mean? Like, and I,
10:20and we didn't see it with the jets, you know, like, but there was that far of year where far
10:26got like, he looked pretty good for the jets. Then tore his biceps. Was it, is that right? Fred? I
10:32think. Right. And just like, look like he couldn't play down the stretch. Then he comes back the
10:38next year. It was awesome with the Vikings the first year. And then was a shell of himself,
10:42uh, his second year with the Vikings. So I, and I'm looking at the, the, the MVP thing, but yeah,
10:48I mean, I, I like, I think that that's the question. It's not like, can he play another
10:52two or three years? It's like, can he squeeze that one year out of himself? Yeah. I mean,
10:55far have, I think one seven or eight games that season for the jets, they were playing for the
11:01playoffs the last game of the year. I mean, Rogers was an abject disaster. So Rogers was the
11:06MVP and 21, by the way. Okay. So 21 and he was the MVP and, and, and that was the one
11:13where he wouldn't run into, that was the NFC championship game where they had home field
11:16and you wouldn't run into that was the year before that was the year before. Okay. So
11:19the year before that was the NFC championship game that he wouldn't run into the end.
11:23Yep. And they lost to San Francisco. If you guys remember, hello. And that really cold
11:29game in 21. Ooh, it's cold in San Francisco. Well, that's another old man thing, right? I
11:37mean, I don't handle the cold as well as I used to. I handle it like a champ. I get in
11:41that cold plunge. Yeah. He needs, he needs to cold plunge. He's in those darkness retreats.
11:48I say sack up and get in the, let's take a sack lunch into the dang cold plunge. All right.
11:54So, uh, I got, I go ahead. Let's just bounce to another team here. Are you here? Are you
11:59hearing anything about, uh, Raiders camp and how things are there with, uh, with Pete Carroll
12:05and the, and the new look Las Vegas Raiders? Yeah. The Christian Wilkins thing is interesting,
12:09huh? Um, like I, there's been a dispute for a while over his rehab plan and, um, that's
12:17not great. Like, you know, like that's not a great start. Like that you're dealing with
12:21that, um, who, I mean, the guy was, uh, the guy signed, uh, I think it was 110 over
12:27four, um, a monster contract a year ago as a free agent brought in by, you know, the Antonio
12:32Pierce, Tom Telesco group. And, um, there were some disagreement over his rehab plan and, um,
12:39the fact that the guy reports to camp and then is cut like a week later, like I was having
12:43this discussion with another guy with another team, like, um, last night where it was like,
12:49if you, like, if you're planning to get rid of the guy, um, and you know, like, that's just,
12:56you know, like, like you've, you've, you've just decided to move on. You do it before training camp.
13:02So the fact that the guy reported to training camp, then you're cutting him days later
13:05is sort of interesting. Um, I think they expect to be better. You know, I think they,
13:10they, um, they, they'll get a lot out of Ashton Gent. He is a rookie. Um, Brock Bowers,
13:16I think will be one of the best players in football at any position. The offensive line
13:20is going to be a lot better. They should be better at quarterback with Geno and, you know,
13:24you have Pete Carroll coaching the defense. So I think that's a, um, I think that's a really
13:29good division. The AFC West are really, really good division. So they may not get more than six
13:34wins, but I think they'll be better. Okay. Uh, I, I just wonder, you know, in terms of, you know,
13:40the, the attitude and the atmosphere there with Pete Carroll, I mean, he's a different guy.
13:45I don't know how many coaches you can say that about probably, you know, still have
13:48in, in, in 2025, like a unique philosophy and mood that they bring to the locker room.
13:55A lot of them have, you know, you know, come from somewhere else and they're trying to imitate
13:59something. And that's there, that's there. That's what you're asking, Hardy. That's there.
14:03I mean, I, the, the Pete Carroll thing is, is been in there. Yeah. I mean, it's like,
14:08and I, I remember like, I remember talking to Geno about this and that was like,
14:12if you look at Geno, um, he washed out of, um, the jets, then he washed out of the chargers and
14:18his career was kind of on life support. And he did this like series of one year deals.
14:23You know, a lot of times those guys will bounce around one, one year here, one year there,
14:26trying to find a place where they can get more playing time. And Geno kept going back to Seattle.
14:31I think it was three or four years in a row on one year deals. And I, I remember asking him why
14:36he did that. And, um, he said, because I had never been in an atmosphere like this before.
14:43And it kind of dawned on me. Like I, when you went to Seattle and Pete Carroll had it rolling,
14:49that place was unlike anywhere else. And it's hard to put your finger on what it was,
14:54but he just had a way of getting the whole place pulling in the same direction. And there was a,
15:00a bounce and an edge. And, and it's not like, I know a lot of people in new England,
15:05like the thought, like it was this happy go lucky thing. That's not what it was in Seattle
15:10and Seattle. It was, I mean, the practices were like, the practices were wars. You know,
15:18there was this energy to the team that I, that I think was very unique to Pete. And I,
15:23from what I understand, you're already seeing signs of that in Vegas, which is, which is good
15:28considering Pete's 74 years old. I hope I'm moving around like he does, um, when I'm his age.
15:34Well, I would like to get into the, cause that's the first team that the Patriots play and
15:37expectations of that game in the season. If we can get into that, we will do so, uh, coming up in
15:43just a moment with Bert Breer. If you liked that clip and how could you not check out more videos
15:47from Toucher and Hardy here, point slightly up and to the left for more Patriots analysis and opinion,
15:54hit this playlist, point slightly down and to the left. And for the latest from the sports hub,
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