The Pittsburgh Steelers can talk themselves into the Aaron Rodgers upside. The experience is real, the release is still quick, and the name still carries expectations.
But the analytics Bruce Murray pointed to on SiriusXM’s “The Blitz” show why this conversation is not as simple as adding another wide receiver, changing up the coaching staff, and hoping the offense fixes itself.
Murray focused on Rodgers’ performance under pressure last season, and the percentages were tough to ignore. When pressured, Rodgers had a 19% success rate, which Murray said was the worst single-season mark of his career.
Rodgers has long been viewed as the quarterback who could diagnose a defense before the snap, speed up the answer, and punish pressure with one throw. Last season, though, the results told a different story.
Murray also noted Rodgers had a 42% off-target rate when pressured. He put that number in perspective by noting it ranked as the fifth-worst mark among quarterbacks who started games over the last five years.
That does not mean Rodgers suddenly lacks talent. The problem is what happens when the play breaks down and he has to create outside structure.
Todd Haley, the former Steelers offensive coordinator, saw the same issue on film.
“The thing that jumped off the page to me with Aaron Rodgers is just the declining physical ability to extend a play,” Haley said.
Haley added that some of it may have been to ward off tackles and sacks, but he still used a phrase that will sting for Steelers fans.
“How much of that was self-preservation or not? I don’t know. You think of the term ‘chuck and duck.’ I saw way too much of that last year,” Haley said.
That is the hard pill for Pittsburgh to swallow. Rodgers can still help an offense if protected and supported properly. But if the Steelers are counting on the old version of Rodgers to erase pressure, extend plays, and solve everything on his own, those percentages suggest they may be asking for something that is no longer there.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Todd Haley warns Steelers about Aaron Rodgers pressure concerns