Aaron Rodgers didn’t come to Pittsburgh just to be a bridge quarterback for the Steelers. His arrival puts pressure on a franchise that has spent too many Januarys watching other teams make deep playoff runs past Wild Card Weekend.
Hines Ward knows what that kind of pressure feels like. He lived it in 2005, when the Steelers rallied around Jerome Bettis’ final run and turned it into a Super Bowl. While Ward doesn’t view Rodgers’ situation as a perfect copy of Bettis’ farewell tour, he sees the same challenge forming in Pittsburgh: a veteran star’s last shot only works if the rest of the roster buys in.
Hines Ward says Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers need more than talent
Ward recently joined “The Yinziders” podcast while promoting his new documentary “Becoming Hines Ward,” which premieres July 21 on SEC Network. When asked what the current Steelers can take from the 2005 team, Ward pointed first to Bettis’ unique role in the locker room.
“I think the circumstances were a little different. What Jerome meant to us, you know? He was kind of like the big bro to all the players that got drafted,” Ward said. “He took everybody under his wing and taught us all how to be a pro.”
Rodgers walks into a different setup. He’s not a longtime franchise pillar. But Ward isn’t questioning whether Rodgers can play.
“He's one of the best who ever done it,” Ward said. “Of course, he beat us in a Super Bowl. Gosh darn it, I would have had three of them if it wasn't for him.”
That line will punch Steelers fans in the gut who remember Super Bowl 45, but it also explains why Ward believes Rodgers can quickly command respect. The Hall of Fame resume is there. The harder part is getting a reshaped roster, under a new coaching staff, to play with urgency before the season slips into another familiar one-and-done finish.
“I think a lot of guys want to not just play for themselves, they want to play for Aaron,” Ward said. “You don't want to be that guy on Aaron's last run.”
For Ward, it’s about the locker room around Rodgers.
“Talent can only take you so far,” Ward said. “At some point, you got to come together as a unit. It can’t be a lot of me-guys. It’s got to be a lot of selfless faces that’s doing whatever it takes to win games, and that’s what wins championships.”
For a Steelers team trying to end a playoff win drought that’s closing in on a decade, that’s the part fans should watch once training camp opens. Rodgers can raise the standard, but the season depends on how quickly Pittsburgh’s new pieces accept their roles, protect the football, finish drives, and buy into the kind of team-first edge Ward remembers from a championship locker room.
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