As the Steelers prepare for their final preseason game on Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers, there is one thing quarterback Aaron Rodgers wants out of the game.
"Health," said Rodgers. "Everybody getting through healthy. That's the most important thing."
At the time he spoke on Tuesday, Rodgers didn't say if he would be playing or not, simply stating that he will 'roll with whatever' Coach Mike Tomlin decides.
And rolling with it is something Rodgers has been doing since arriving with the Steelers. He has a personality that has brought the offense together, a four-time NFL MVP and future Hall of Famer who is just one of the guys on and off the field.
It's not uncommon to see him having lunch with rookies or stretching with a defensive player before practice.
He has a desire to get to know his teammates, one that is genuine and infectious.
"I'm just trying to be curious, not judgmental," said Rodgers, who said he feels good conditioning wise. "I've always been curious about learning and just trying be a lifetime student, that's why I enjoy reading in all forms, whether it's audio books when you're in the car or reading. I like to actually have the book in my hand so I can underline or highlight or whatever.
"But just getting to know guys too. You've got to pay attention and sometimes you've got to use some strategies to remember things. There are ways of connecting with guys, and I've always been interested in those dynamics. I'm just trying to be curious."
On offense, it's often said everything starts up front. When it comes to Rodger's curiosity, that is where it starts as well.
The offensive line isn't a flashy position. It isn't a position where guys are always loud and boisterous. Rodgers is trying to break them a little though, pull some laughs out of players like center Zach Frazier and guard Isaac Seumalo, who are quiet, reserved and getting a smile out of them can be a challenge.
"I'm trying to be intentional every day I'm here," said Rodgers. "Trying to get Zach to loosen up a little bit. Mason (McCormick) has been a great compadre with that, because he's next to him every single day. It's fun when I get a little laugh out of Isaac and maybe a facial expression from Troy (Fautanu). Broderick (Jones) is probably the most gregarious of the group up front.
"I got a laugh out Darnell (Washington) today, which was fun. Big win, so small victories every day when it comes to the chemistry building stuff. Spent a lot of time talking with the receivers. A lot of text messages after hours with those guys.
"But that's what it's all about. Finding ways to connect with those guys. I have a built-in laugh track because I'm the old guy and I can recycle some old jokes from years past they haven't heard before. Just trying to connect to the guys every single day."
The connection isn't just off the field or in the locker room with jokes. It's happening on the field, with Rodgers giving advice, tips and everything in between to teammates, especially a young receiver like Roman Wilson who he sees a world of potential in.
"I think he's improving every day," said Rodgers. "You can't skew the results from the details. You look at his game the other night, he made a couple splash plays. But we're going to coach him hard. His receiver coach, Art (Smith), and myself on the details, because the details are what make the difference.
"And even though he had a couple of big plays, there's some room for improvement there. Wouldn't say anything if we just thought he was going to be a guy, just any guy that could you throw in. But I think he has a chance to be a big-time talent in the league. So, we're going to hold him to a high standard.
"I'm really happy with him, the way he's played. But we're going to hold him to a standard of excellence that I think he's capable of reaching."
While Rodgers and Wilson's relationship is growing on the field based on reps, he is also making sure his relationship with receiver Calvin Austin III is growing during a time when Austin is sidelined with an injury.
Rodger's locker is just a few from Austin's locker, so he makes sure to keep the lines of communication wide open.
"He sits a couple over from me," said Rodgers. "So just keeping him in the conversation, keep communicating with him. Nobody is more upset about not being out there than him So just trying to keep it positive with him as well.
"It's hard to be hurt any time of the year, but camp, with a new quarterback and kind of building off the year he had last year. I'm sure there's some frustration, but he hadn't shown it. He's one of the happiest guys, one of my favorite guys in locker room.
"I'll be happy to get him back. He was out there for walkthrough today. So, I threw him a couple of balls. Made sure that oblique was feeling good. But I'm excited to get him back out."
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While Rodgers has yet to appear in a preseason game for the Steelers, he did work beyond the normal training camp practice when the Steelers held a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a week ago.
Rodgers saw benefits from the practice, giving the offense different looks from what they were seeing on a daily basis from their own defense in training camp.
"I thought it was good for us to get some work in," said Rodgers. "I felt like there's a lot of film to correct. Failure is always best this time of year to learn from and to be able to let the coaches go through it, or let Art (Smith) go through it.
"I thought we started practice really well in the seven shots. Then they kind of got after us in the team run with very correctable things. I felt we got after them pretty good in the third down periods. We had a chance in two-minute with a couple of opportunities and went four and out.
"But good film to work on. The thing I loved is there weren't fans there, so they felt comfortable bringing a lot of different pressures. So, I thought it was good work for us in the protection game especially."
One aspect the offense has worked on, especially with a new quarterback, is cadence. And it's an area where Rodgers gets immense praise from his teammates.
It's something he has always been known for, learning some tricks early on in his career watching a Hall of Fame quarterback up close.
"I've watched Brett Favre," said Rodgers. "Brett Favre had a great cadence and so I copied the things I liked and expanded where I felt like there was room to expand, and we've been doing it for a long time. There's a rhythmic nature to it and also a non-rhythmic nature to it that is an important aspect of it.
"I would say, being to a new team and with new players, the focus and the ability to lock in with the cadence is some of the best I've seen for a training camp, especially being with a new group like this. We're not having pre-snap issues on the cadence, especially with long counts has been really impressive and I got to give credit to saddlebag partner Zach (Frazier) up front."
