Rob Demovsky
GREEN BAY, Wis. — From the skin, many are Sunday evening's sport between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Inexperienced Bay Packers as Aaron Rodgers in opposition to his previous workforce.
That is not how Packers coach Matt LaFleur sees it — at the least not for these inside Lambeau Area.
“We're enjoying the Pittsburgh Steelers, who occur to have Aaron Rodgers,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur stated Monday. “It is so simple as that. That's for you guys to speak about. Granted, I imply, we have got numerous love and respect for Aaron. What he is completed right here, I imply, he is a Corridor of Famer. And I do know like our previous collectively, we had numerous nice moments, however this sport isn't about that.”
LaFleur coached Rodgers in Inexperienced Bay from 2019 to 2022 earlier than the Packers traded him to the New York Jets in 2023 and turned their offense over to Jordan Love. After two seasons in New York, Rodgers signed with the Steelers this previous offseason. Pittsburgh is off to a 4-2 begin.
The Jets didn't play the Packers in both 2023 (when Rodgers sat out all however the first sequence of the primary sport of the season) or final season, so this would be the first time he'll play in opposition to the workforce that drafted him in 2005. Rodgers was the Packers' beginning quarterback for 15 years, gained 4 NFL MVP awards in Inexperienced Bay and led the workforce to the Tremendous Bowl XLV victory within the 2010 season.
Primarily based on what LaFleur stated to reporters Monday, it does not sound as if he made a lot of a point out of the Rodgers-against-his-old-team part of this sport to his workforce.
“I do not even know if many of those guys performed with him,” LaFleur stated. “There's just a few guys however, nah, I feel that is for you guys.”
Although the Packers (4-1-1) have been the youngest workforce within the NFL for the third straight season based mostly on opening weekend rosters, there are quite a lot of gamers who teamed with Rodgers for at the least one season in Inexperienced Bay. In reality, there are 13.
“I'll speak about how we, similar to we do each week, what's our blueprint and what are our keys as a way to go to Pittsburgh, which is a rattling good soccer workforce and a very powerful, hostile surroundings, and attempt to play our greatest, as a result of we've not [played] our greatest but to this point,” LaFleur stated. “We have numerous work to do.”
Rodgers, 41, is coming off a four-touchdown, two-interception sport in final Thursday's 33-31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
LaFleur stated he has not seen a lot movie of Rodgers this season
“That is form of what we're diving into proper now,” LaFleur stated.
