[GUEST ACCESS MODE: Data is scrambled or limited to provide examples. Make requests using your API key to unlock full data. Check https://lunarcrush.ai/auth for authentication information.]  Mark Kaboly [@MarkKaboly](/creator/twitter/MarkKaboly) on x 119.4K followers Created: 2025-07-25 12:06:34 UTC Steelers Training Camp Observations: Aaron Rodgers brushes off first-pass pick like he should Mark Kaboly / Steelers Correspondent For The @PatMcAfeeShow LATROBE — It was a good viral video that surely will spark some conversations about whether or not Aaron Rodgers – at XX years old and with his third team in four years – is cooked, or at the very least, whether or not him not signing until minicamp and then barely taking any reps during those three days affected him. But let’s call what happened during Rodgers’ first throw as a Steeler in a team period for what it is: It was a training camp interception that just happened to be the first snap on the first day with his new team, and in reality, his first team football-like throw since becoming a Pittsburgh Steeler. Even a four-time MVP and sure-fire Hall of Famer is allowed something like that to happen in training camp, and he knows it. “It's good to get that out of the way,” Rodgers said. “Anybody who’s watched me practice over the years, you know, you like to try certain throws at certain times.” This was one just happened to go awry, and in this day in age, one of the thousands in attendance at St. Vincent College on Thursday captured it on video from the stands, posted on a social media platform, and then was aggregated to the point where it was last seen to have XXXXXXX views. “Trust me, he will be fine,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said afterwards. Rodgers’ long-awaited first throw of camp, intended for DK Metcalf, was intercepted in the flat by Patrick Queen. Who knows what happened, but it did appear that the Steelers fooled Rodgers a bit by disguising their zone coverage to look like press man, or maybe not. Queen wasn’t sure, but he was the beneficiary of picking off the player he looked up to as a kid, which turned out to be quite a surreal moment for the linebacker. “Yeah, maybe that was it,” Queen said of the disguise. “I buzzed out to the flat really quickly, and I really didn’t expect him to throw it. I was looking at DK the entire time, and I turned around and it was there.” Rodgers didn’t throw another interception the rest of practice as he exclusively worked with the first team. His snap count wasn’t particularly high on the first day, and he mostly kept the ball underneath when he did throw it, but that’s to be expected considering it was his first real time in the offense. “He looked good,” Freiermuth said. “We aren’t going to win or lose the Super Bowl during the first practice at Latrobe. We are trying to get better for the long haul. It was really his first reps of the offense since he’s been here, so he’s trying to get familiar with us. He will be fine.” Rodgers didn’t give much thought to what happened, that’s for sure. Rodgers has made a living by taking care of the ball over his career. Rodgers has averaged less than half an interception per game over his 20-year career. He’s thrown double-digit interceptions four times and never more than XX in a single season. How he has historically taken care of the ball surely was one thing that attracted the Steelers to him in the offseason. “Anybody that's watched me in the games knows I've been pretty stellar taking care of football over the years,” Rodgers said. “So, there's going to be picks, for sure. I'm going to try to fit certain things in … I'm going to throw some picks, but I'm going to throw some touchdowns too.” Rodgers did look smooth throughout the 100-minute practice. Despite getting a late start with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense, Rodgers has spent plenty of time with Smith learning the playbook. That hasn’t gone unnoticed by at least one of his teammates. “I think he is pretty up to speed,” backup quarterback Mason Rudolph said. Kaboly’s observations and thoughts on Day X of training camp: • RUDOLPH HAS STRONG START: People might not want to hear this, but Mason Rudolph looked the best out of all four quarterbacks during the first practice. You can’t just say that he is more familiar with the Steelers' offense as the reason, because he has only about a couple of weeks' head start on learning Arthur Smith’s offense over the rest of the room. Rudolph’s arm talent is special, but he looked comfortable in the new offense more than anything else. His best throw was during X on X when he threaded the needle between the corner and safety in a long toss to tight end Darnell Washington over linebacker Cole Holcomb. Running with the second team, Rudolph had a lot of reps with guys he hadn’t thrown much to during the spring. Rudolph knows the situation he’s facing and is taking it in stride. “I am going to approach the job like I always do. I am going to be ready if they need me, and I want to be ready to win games for us if my number is called. I am just one play away.” • WHERE’S JALEN? If Thursday’s first practice was any indication, you might have a tough time finding where newly acquired defensive back Jalen Ramsey will line up on a snap-by-snap basis. Four of the first five plays, Ramsey lined up either in the slot or shifted to be the one-high safety while Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. were outside. The former Pro-Bowler even blitzed off the corner during one of the first reps snap which forced Rodgers to throw it away. The Steelers have every intention of using Ramsey all over the field, and that was displayed on the first day. He’s going to travel with the opponent’s top receiver, be able to shift from slot to safety and back again, or play just be a press-man corner. Tomlin was giddy all day just watching his new toy and the options now available to him and his coaching staff, and this was just Day X. It’s going to be interesting to see what else they can dial up for Ramsey. • MOVE T.J., MOVE: So much chatter has surrounded T.J. Watt moving around the formation to create favorable matchups. It didn’t take long for the experiment to begin. Even though he hasn’t been around the team since January, the Steelers rolled out a wrinkle of Watt lining up inside on the B gap before dropping into coverage on this particular play. Maybe they are serious this year of keeping Watt free of double teams and chips? • ROOKIE SPEED: Rookie third-round pick Kaleb Johnson had a couple of long runs that got everybody’s attention, even though I am sure DeShon Elliott would’ve tackled him on one play for a short gain if it was a live drill. Johnson stood out not because of his speed or that we’ve seen Najee Harris plod his way through the line of scrimmage for four years, but more so how quickly Johnson can get up to top speed. He broke one off of the right guard’s hip for what had to be XX yards, but the way he hit it and got to full power immediately was impressive. Who knows? Maybe it’s easier to do that when you know somebody isn’t going to dip a shoulder into your hip, but it did illustrate a running back who can make big plays. • NO BATTLE YET: I would tell you who looked the best on Day X at the second receiver spot, either Calvin Austin III or Roman Wilson, but I’d be lying. Austin was WR2 and Wilson WR3 (for the most part), but there wasn’t much in the way of targeting receivers during this abbreviated acclimation period practice, instead, there was much more tight end action than anything else, and that was without Jonnu Smith practicing. Arthur Smith is going to use his tight ends. Period. If you think otherwise and you are misguided. • KEEP AN EYE ON: Tight end J.J. Galbreath and running back Max Hurleman have little chance to make the initial 53-man roster, but they sure did look like pro players on Day X. Evan Hull and Trey Sermon also looked solid. All three have an uphill battle to make the initial 53-man roster, but they did get off to a good start. • ODDS AND ENDS: For the interested, the second unit offensive line consisted of Calvin Anderson, Max Scharping, Ryan McCollum, Doug Nestor, and Dylan Cook. Scharping replaced McCollum when McCollum went down. Spencer Anderson got first-ream reps at left guard with Isaac Seumalo out. … We saw a good portion of the Steelers playing with two defensive linemen, with Cam Heyward and Keeanu Benton being the two interior guys. When they went base, rookie Derrick Harmon came in, who showed up around the ball a lot … Juan Thornhill played free safety in the nickel package, and that just might ultimately be his role. … Punter Cam Johnston has a significant scar on his right knee, but he picked up where he left off before getting injured last year with booming punts. … Temperatures on Chuck Noll Field were in the 90s with the heat index kissing XXX degrees. … Austin was the top punt returner and will surely hold onto that job during the regular season …The Steelers will hold another acclimation period practice on Friday at 1:55.  XXXXXX engagements  **Related Topics** [training camp](/topic/training-camp) [pittsburgh steelers](/topic/pittsburgh-steelers) [Post Link](https://x.com/MarkKaboly/status/1948716504125526390)
[GUEST ACCESS MODE: Data is scrambled or limited to provide examples. Make requests using your API key to unlock full data. Check https://lunarcrush.ai/auth for authentication information.]
Mark Kaboly @MarkKaboly on x 119.4K followers
Created: 2025-07-25 12:06:34 UTC
Steelers Training Camp Observations: Aaron Rodgers brushes off first-pass pick like he should
Mark Kaboly / Steelers Correspondent For The @PatMcAfeeShow
LATROBE — It was a good viral video that surely will spark some conversations about whether or not Aaron Rodgers – at XX years old and with his third team in four years – is cooked, or at the very least, whether or not him not signing until minicamp and then barely taking any reps during those three days affected him.
But let’s call what happened during Rodgers’ first throw as a Steeler in a team period for what it is: It was a training camp interception that just happened to be the first snap on the first day with his new team, and in reality, his first team football-like throw since becoming a Pittsburgh Steeler.
Even a four-time MVP and sure-fire Hall of Famer is allowed something like that to happen in training camp, and he knows it.
“It's good to get that out of the way,” Rodgers said. “Anybody who’s watched me practice over the years, you know, you like to try certain throws at certain times.”
This was one just happened to go awry, and in this day in age, one of the thousands in attendance at St. Vincent College on Thursday captured it on video from the stands, posted on a social media platform, and then was aggregated to the point where it was last seen to have XXXXXXX views.
“Trust me, he will be fine,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said afterwards.
Rodgers’ long-awaited first throw of camp, intended for DK Metcalf, was intercepted in the flat by Patrick Queen.
Who knows what happened, but it did appear that the Steelers fooled Rodgers a bit by disguising their zone coverage to look like press man, or maybe not.
Queen wasn’t sure, but he was the beneficiary of picking off the player he looked up to as a kid, which turned out to be quite a surreal moment for the linebacker.
“Yeah, maybe that was it,” Queen said of the disguise. “I buzzed out to the flat really quickly, and I really didn’t expect him to throw it. I was looking at DK the entire time, and I turned around and it was there.”
Rodgers didn’t throw another interception the rest of practice as he exclusively worked with the first team.
His snap count wasn’t particularly high on the first day, and he mostly kept the ball underneath when he did throw it, but that’s to be expected considering it was his first real time in the offense.
“He looked good,” Freiermuth said. “We aren’t going to win or lose the Super Bowl during the first practice at Latrobe. We are trying to get better for the long haul. It was really his first reps of the offense since he’s been here, so he’s trying to get familiar with us. He will be fine.”
Rodgers didn’t give much thought to what happened, that’s for sure.
Rodgers has made a living by taking care of the ball over his career. Rodgers has averaged less than half an interception per game over his 20-year career. He’s thrown double-digit interceptions four times and never more than XX in a single season.
How he has historically taken care of the ball surely was one thing that attracted the Steelers to him in the offseason.
“Anybody that's watched me in the games knows I've been pretty stellar taking care of football over the years,” Rodgers said. “So, there's going to be picks, for sure. I'm going to try to fit certain things in … I'm going to throw some picks, but I'm going to throw some touchdowns too.”
Rodgers did look smooth throughout the 100-minute practice. Despite getting a late start with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense, Rodgers has spent plenty of time with Smith learning the playbook.
That hasn’t gone unnoticed by at least one of his teammates.
“I think he is pretty up to speed,” backup quarterback Mason Rudolph said.
Kaboly’s observations and thoughts on Day X of training camp:
• RUDOLPH HAS STRONG START: People might not want to hear this, but Mason Rudolph looked the best out of all four quarterbacks during the first practice. You can’t just say that he is more familiar with the Steelers' offense as the reason, because he has only about a couple of weeks' head start on learning Arthur Smith’s offense over the rest of the room. Rudolph’s arm talent is special, but he looked comfortable in the new offense more than anything else. His best throw was during X on X when he threaded the needle between the corner and safety in a long toss to tight end Darnell Washington over linebacker Cole Holcomb. Running with the second team, Rudolph had a lot of reps with guys he hadn’t thrown much to during the spring. Rudolph knows the situation he’s facing and is taking it in stride. “I am going to approach the job like I always do. I am going to be ready if they need me, and I want to be ready to win games for us if my number is called. I am just one play away.”
• WHERE’S JALEN? If Thursday’s first practice was any indication, you might have a tough time finding where newly acquired defensive back Jalen Ramsey will line up on a snap-by-snap basis. Four of the first five plays, Ramsey lined up either in the slot or shifted to be the one-high safety while Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. were outside. The former Pro-Bowler even blitzed off the corner during one of the first reps snap which forced Rodgers to throw it away. The Steelers have every intention of using Ramsey all over the field, and that was displayed on the first day. He’s going to travel with the opponent’s top receiver, be able to shift from slot to safety and back again, or play just be a press-man corner. Tomlin was giddy all day just watching his new toy and the options now available to him and his coaching staff, and this was just Day X. It’s going to be interesting to see what else they can dial up for Ramsey.
• MOVE T.J., MOVE: So much chatter has surrounded T.J. Watt moving around the formation to create favorable matchups. It didn’t take long for the experiment to begin. Even though he hasn’t been around the team since January, the Steelers rolled out a wrinkle of Watt lining up inside on the B gap before dropping into coverage on this particular play. Maybe they are serious this year of keeping Watt free of double teams and chips?
• ROOKIE SPEED: Rookie third-round pick Kaleb Johnson had a couple of long runs that got everybody’s attention, even though I am sure DeShon Elliott would’ve tackled him on one play for a short gain if it was a live drill. Johnson stood out not because of his speed or that we’ve seen Najee Harris plod his way through the line of scrimmage for four years, but more so how quickly Johnson can get up to top speed. He broke one off of the right guard’s hip for what had to be XX yards, but the way he hit it and got to full power immediately was impressive. Who knows? Maybe it’s easier to do that when you know somebody isn’t going to dip a shoulder into your hip, but it did illustrate a running back who can make big plays.
• NO BATTLE YET: I would tell you who looked the best on Day X at the second receiver spot, either Calvin Austin III or Roman Wilson, but I’d be lying. Austin was WR2 and Wilson WR3 (for the most part), but there wasn’t much in the way of targeting receivers during this abbreviated acclimation period practice, instead, there was much more tight end action than anything else, and that was without Jonnu Smith practicing. Arthur Smith is going to use his tight ends. Period. If you think otherwise and you are misguided.
• KEEP AN EYE ON: Tight end J.J. Galbreath and running back Max Hurleman have little chance to make the initial 53-man roster, but they sure did look like pro players on Day X. Evan Hull and Trey Sermon also looked solid. All three have an uphill battle to make the initial 53-man roster, but they did get off to a good start.
• ODDS AND ENDS: For the interested, the second unit offensive line consisted of Calvin Anderson, Max Scharping, Ryan McCollum, Doug Nestor, and Dylan Cook. Scharping replaced McCollum when McCollum went down. Spencer Anderson got first-ream reps at left guard with Isaac Seumalo out. … We saw a good portion of the Steelers playing with two defensive linemen, with Cam Heyward and Keeanu Benton being the two interior guys. When they went base, rookie Derrick Harmon came in, who showed up around the ball a lot … Juan Thornhill played free safety in the nickel package, and that just might ultimately be his role. … Punter Cam Johnston has a significant scar on his right knee, but he picked up where he left off before getting injured last year with booming punts. … Temperatures on Chuck Noll Field were in the 90s with the heat index kissing XXX degrees. … Austin was the top punt returner and will surely hold onto that job during the regular season …The Steelers will hold another acclimation period practice on Friday at 1:55.
XXXXXX engagements
Related Topics training camp pittsburgh steelers