Mike Tomlin offers lame excuse when asked why Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn’t play against Bears despite practicing
Mike Tomlin didn’t make a lot of sense on Sunday.
When Mike Tomlin broke the news just before kickoff that Aaron Rodgers would be out on Sunday, many were caught off guard. Not only had Rodgers pleaded with the Steelers to return to the game last week, but he also practiced on Thursday and Friday (albeit in a limited capacity).
Yet the Steelers and Tomlin opted for Mason Rudolph, which made some sense after seeing his second-half performance against the Cincinnati Bengals. But outside of a couple of long drives, Rudolph struggled for most of the day and squandered two chances to have a game-winning drive in Chicago.
So naturally, given the way the game unfolded and the fact that it was the first time Tomlin had to answer questions from local media since making the decision, questions were asked, and bad answers were given.
Mike Tomlin explains why Aaron Rodgers didn’t play against the Bears
“I anticipate him being ready for next week. It was a prudent decision to make. Certainly, it wasn’t a fluid week for him,” said Tomlin of Rodgers via the Steelers YouTube channel. “It was a fluid week for Mason [Rudolph] in terms of reps, and so I think it’ll be in our rear view as we move forward. I’m hopeful of that.”
Here’s the issue with Tomlin’s statement. Earlier in the week, when asked about Rodgers’ game day availability in relation to practice reps, Tomlin was unbothered, mentioning Rodgers’ experience as a reason not to be worried about a lack of reps.
“He’s the type of guy and has the type of profile that doesn’t require a lot of physical work in an effort to be ready to play. And that’s helpful,” said Tomlin of Rodgers on Tuesday when asked about him playing without practicing much.
I know there tends to be a grey area with injuries, but when you make black-and-white statements like Tomlin did on Tuesday and again after the game, it comes off as the team not being aligned. We know how bad Rodgers wanted to play, and we know how much Tomlin prefers Rodgers.
So if the plan was to play it safe and get him healthy for the home game against the Buffalo Bills, then that’s fine. But to talk out of both sides of your mouth after a loss where Rodgers would likely have been better than Rudolph? That feels disingenuous.
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Steelers lost more than the game against the Bears following an injury that will only magnify the issues in Chicago
A bad afternoon overall for Pittsburgh.
