The Steelers take on the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football at Acrisure Stadium and there is one topic that has been dominating the headlines this week.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers is going against the team he spent 18 seasons with, and it has been one of the most talked about topics in the NFL this week.
Including in Green Bay.
"We had a great relationship," said Packers Coach Matt LaFleur, who spent three years with Rodgers. "I thought it was a great collaboration of all of us coming together. Spent a lot of time together, especially that offseason during Covid of trying to bring more clarity to our offense of what we wanted to be and what we wanted to do and why we wanted to do it.
"There were a ton of great conversations that led to us going out there and having a lot of success together."
While the vast majority of the comments coming out of Green Bay this week have been about Rodgers, they also weighed in on other topics, including linebacker T.J. Watt and cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
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Coach Matt LaFleur on how quarterback Aaron Rodgers still looks:
"He looks like he can still do anything. What is surprising for such an old man is he is still moving around pretty good. You see it in multiple games. The arm strength is still plenty there. You especially saw it on the Hail Mary (against the Bengals). There aren't many guys that can throw 70 yards in the air.
"It's still pretty impressive what he can do. He can throw with pinpoint accuracy. This guy is extremely accurate. If you give him just a sliver of light, he can fit the ball in there."
Quarterback Jordan Love on how Rodgers was with him when he first was drafted by the Packers:
"Aaron was great. Being in the quarterback room, you want to have a great relationship with everybody in the room. Coming into it, I never knew what to expect, but Aaron was great to me all three years.
"You never know how it's going to go. I didn't know what to expect coming into it. Being a first-round pick. Having ARod there. There's a lot of question marks. Just being around ARod, being in the quarterback room, those guys welcomed me in with open arms and they were great."
Cornerback Keisean Nixon on how you disguise defenses against Rodgers:
"You don't. You line up and just play. My first year in the league (before he was with the Packers) we played here. There's nothing he hasn't seen before.
"It's a line up and play ball game. I don't think disguises will do anything. There is nothing he hasn't seen."
LaFleur on how Rodgers helped him with his career he first arrived in Green Bay:
"It was a really good collaboration. You come in with some ideas of how you want to do things. You get with a guy like him, and you learn some other things.
"One of the things I thought he does as well as anybody in the game is how important the use of cadence is. There has been nobody like him in the history of the game. His ability to get free plays. That is just a small example.
"I am not going to come in here and say this is how we do it when he already does it at a high level. There was a lot of give and take in regards as what we were going to do offensively. Just working through that process. How you do it is spending a lot of time with each other. We got to a really good spot."
Nixon on what it was like to practice against Rodgers when they were teammates in Green Bay:
"He did make me better. A lot better. Especially as a young player. He would never let you pick him off in practice. I made a big emphasis with him my first year here, if I picked him off would he sign a jersey. I picked him off, not until Week 15-16. He gave me a jersey. I appreciate him. I respect the player. I respect the man."
LaFleur on the relationship Rodgers had with Packers quarterback Jordan Love:
"I thought he was awesome with him. He did a great job being supportive of him. Trying to give him nuggets all of the time. I think Jordan leaned into that. It was great for both people."
Nixon on what he sees in Rodgers at age 41:
"He looks the same. It's his arm. It's nothing else. His brain and arm. He isn't losing that."
Love on if him and Rodgers still talk:
"We texted a couple of weeks ago. We shoot each other texts every now and then. A lot of it is just saying good luck throughout the season.
"It's great to be able to hear from him. I have so much respect for him. Any time he gives me pointers, that's the stuff you want to get feedback from a legend like that."
Nixon on if Rodgers still has a presence:
"He has a presence. It has nothing to do with how old he is. He won a Super Bowl. He always still has that confidence. I don't think that is going anywhere.
"I think when he is retired, he can still play better than a lot of these younger guys."
LaFleur on the Steelers defense:
"It's not an opponent we see every year. There are some similarities to two years ago (when we played them). I think they've upgraded some of the talent. They still have the front, which is phenomenal. It's one of the best in football.
"They have upgraded in some areas and have gotten a lot more aggressive with their scheme. A lot more man coverage than we saw a few years ago. It will be interesting to see how they attack us.
"They are very competitive and really have feasted on sacks and takeaways. You see it in every game. There is a lot of carnage in the backfield. They do a great job of getting the ball out, whether it's through interceptions or forced fumbles. But their style of play is as good as it gets in this league."
LaFleur on linebacker T.J. Watt:
"It's not just T.J. I think he is the lead dog. They have a lot of rushers. (Nick) Herbig has been very impactful on the edge. (Cameron) Heyward inside. And some of the role players have done a great job as well. They have a really formidable front that does a great job not only in the run game, but in the pass game as well."
Love on if the Steelers defense starts with Watt:
"Any defense, when they have a super star edge rusher on the defensive line, you have to focus on where he is at all times and what he is doing. They have a really good defensive line. They are really disruptive. They're coached really well. It's understanding what they are in and trying to beat that."
LaFleur on what he sees from Jalen Ramsey at this stage of his career:
"He can do it however he wants to. He can play inside, outside. Shoot, they've got him back at safety. He is a very talented player. You can tell in order to be able to do all of that you better be pretty intelligent, and he is all of that."
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