Mike Tomlin Had Simple, High Praise for Aaron Rodgers in Steelers Debut

The Steelers began the Aaron Rodgers era with a win on Sunday, taking down the Jets on the road in a nail-biter, 34–32.

Rodgers looked incredibly sharp going up against his former team, completing 22 of his 30 pass attempts for 244 yards and four touchdowns. After the game, Rodgers himself had plenty to say, both about his relationship with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and about how it felt to beat the Jets.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was, understandably, a bit less bold with his post-game comments, but still took time to commend his quarterback on the game he played.

“I just thought he was game all day,” Tomlin told reporters after the game when asked about Rodgers’s debut. “But again, you guys asked me last week, why was I confident? [Gestures] That’s why I was confident. That’s what I’ve been looking at in preparation, and I’m appreciative of it, not only his efforts, but the efforts of the collective.”

While it was clearly a fine start to the year, Tomlin underlined the fact that it was simply the start of a long season.

“We’ve had him for one game. You can paint with a broad brush, or not. I’m appreciative of the effort.”

Tomlin is right that it has only been one game, and while he might not like it, this week there will undoubtedly be plenty of broad-brush paintings heaved across murals from talking heads on sports television. For the Steelers, they’ll get their next chance to show off what they’ve got on the field next week with a home game against the Seahawks.