Former NFL GM and current ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum likes to fan the flames and make some rather surprising comments when on TV. He did just that Wednesday, stating that Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers would be irrelevant by Thanksgiving.
While there are plenty of questions regarding the Rodgers-Steelers pairing, Tannenbaum’s take is one that some of his fellow ESPN colleagues just can’t get behind. That includes former NFL receivers Andrew Hawkins and Harry Douglas.
The pair appeared on ESPN’s Get Up Thursday morning and pushed back on Tannenbaum’s take.
“I believe it is virtually impossible for the Steelers and Aaron Rogers and Mike Tomlin — that Mike T, not Mike Tannenbaum — to be irrelevant by the time Thanksgiving comes for a bunch of reasons, besides the fact that they have a favorable front end of the schedule, besides the fact they’ve upgraded their roster at almost every unit on both sides of the ball.” Hawkins said of the Steelers and the upcoming season, according to video via ESPN. “The big thing is Mike Tomlin is always in it in Thanksgiving, no matter who is that quarterback.
Throughout his tenure as the Steelers’ head coach, Tomlin has always found a way to win games during the regular season, regardless of his quarterback. The Steelers know how to muddy up games and can win things in ugly fashion.
Their hope this season that, even at 41 years old and nearing the end of his career, Rodgers can be an improvement over what they’ve had in recent years. Many pundits certainly believe that’s the case, but only time will tell on the field.
Down the stretch last season with the Jets, Rodgers showed he still had plenty left in his right arm. His mobility seemingly improved late in the year, too, as he got more and more comfortable in his return from a torn Achilles.
Now, he’s in Pittsburgh playing under a head coach he has a great amount of respect for and seems to have a good relationship with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith already, putting him in a comfortable position as he gets up to speed.
The Steelers didn’t just add Rodgers this offseason, either. They swung big on a trade for star receiver DK Metcalf, have reshaped their offensive line and drafted running back Kaleb Johnson to eventually be the feature back. Defensively, Pittsburgh added some key pieces in cornerback Darius Slay and rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, among others.
Upgrades have been made, at least on paper. But most importantly, that upgrade was made at quarterback.
For Douglas, he believes Tannenbaum is out of his mind for predicting the Steelers would be irrelevant by Thanksgiving.
“Yeah, this is one of the craziest things I think I’ve ever heard Mike Tannenbaum say. When you look at, for the last five years, the Pittsburgh Steelers have never been irrelevant [around] Thanksgiving. So I just think it’s insane,” Douglas said. “You could pretty much count on them basically splitting with those teams in the AFC North, and that’s what people have to understand. They have a favorable schedule early on. They can start four and one or five and oh, and you’re gonna tell me they’re not gonna be able to win at least three games in their own division? So that’s another three wins.
“So, I don’t like the statement by Mike Tannenbaum. I do believe the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rogers will be relevant by Thanksgiving.”
The Steelers’ schedule is favorable early with a season-opening matchup on the road against the New York Jets followed by their home opener against the Seattle Seahawks, two teams that underwent significant changes this offseason. The Week 3 trip to New England should be interesting, too, and then there’s the international matchup with the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4 in Dublin, Ireland, that should have the Steelers juiced up.
After that, it’s a bye week in Week 5 and then AFC North play starts with the Browns and Bengals. There’s an opportunity for the Steelers to get off to a strong start with Rodgers at the helm, giving them some wiggle room in the back half of the season, which isn’t anywhere near as difficult as what the Steelers had to go through last season after Thanksgiving.
Will the Steelers win the AFC North? That seems unlikely, but they won’t be irrelevant by Thanksgiving. More likely, they’re going to be right there in the division race and being talked about quite a bit as a good team in the NFL once again.
