By Dale Lolley
For the Observer-Reporter
PALM BEACH, Fla. – After head coach Mike Tomlin and common supervisor Omar Khan performed issues coy final weekend in regard to the Steelers’ potential signing of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, staff president Artwork Rooney II was far more optimistic in regard to the four-time NFL MVP touchdown with Pittsburgh.
Talking on the conclusion of the NFL’s annual assembly, Rooney was requested the place issues stand between the Steelers and Rodgers.
Video emerged Monday morning of Rodgers throwing at UCLA with new Steelers extensive receiver DK Metcalf. Rooney was requested if that meant something.
“I’d say it was a very good signal that he wished to do this,” Rooney stated. “And we maintain listening to that he’s, I assume, headed in our route, and in order that appears to be all indicators are optimistic thus far.”
In the meantime, the ready sport continues. However, as Tomlin famous when he was requested concerning the scenario with Rodgers, the Steelers are prepared to attend as a result of, proper now, they’re not doing something on the sphere. They’re not practising. They don’t must play a sport subsequent week. They don’t even play a sport subsequent month.
That doesn’t imply, nonetheless, that Rooney is prepared to take this factor for much longer, although the Steelers haven’t set a deadline for something.
“We maintain getting optimistic alerts about it. So, yeah, I’d say we really feel fairly good about it presently,” Rooney stated.
Will Rodgers make the Steelers a Tremendous Bowl contender? Not on his personal.
However with the addition of Rodgers and Metcalf, the Steelers look to be higher and extra explosive offensively than they had been a 12 months in the past. Heck, even when all they’d finished was add Metcalf, then they might be a extra harmful offense.
• The NFL didn’t make any sweeping adjustments on the conferences by way of enjoying guidelines, with the ball being moved out to the 35-yard line as an alternative of the 30 on touchbacks being the most important one.
However there was a very good and hearty debate when it got here as to if or to not proceed to permit ball carriers to be pushed or pulled by different offensive gamers.
The primary goal of that was the proposal to ban pushing a quarterback from behind in short-yardage conditions.
And there wasn’t sufficient assist to ban simply that particular play as a result of it singled out only one aspect of the sport. That’s why it was tabled for the subsequent house owners conferences subsequent month.
However it wouldn’t be in any respect shocking if aiding runners normally will get banned. It may be a harmful play, and it was unlawful to help any ball service.
That may very well be the results of all of this dialogue. And that may seemingly garner extra assist.
• The swirling debate relating to the New York Yankees’ use of “torpedo” bats has been a scorching one within the opening week of the Main League season.
However they’re authorized. And it’s a matter of physics.
The bats don’t assist gamers in really hitting the ball. However they do trigger extra balls to be hit arduous.
It’s form of like what Tomlin stated when he first noticed a staff shove a quarterback from behind in a short-yardage scenario.
“The primary time I noticed it, I couldn’t consider that it was authorized as a result of it was unlawful on the sphere objective,” Tomlin stated. “That being stated, you hate to be in opposition to it, as a result of when individuals are modern, you need to respect that, and so there’s definitely been some groups which have been extra modern than the remainder of us in that regard, and also you hate to penalize them for it. However once more, we acquired into the dialogue on the sphere objective block due to participant security, and so that also stays to be a element of the dialogue.”
So, if MLB felt the brand new bats had been unsafe as a result of they created extra bat velocity, and thus a sooner exit velocity, which may be harmful for pitchers,then it’d make the bats unlawful.
But when it’s only a case the place you get extra good wooden on a ball, then everybody needs to be using the brand new bats.
And, fairly frankly, George Costanza had it proper years in the past on “Seinfeld” when the fictional character was working for the Yankees and stated hitting is all about physics.
That was 20 years in the past. It’s superb it took somebody this lengthy to give you one thing just like the torpedo bat.
However they’re not secret. Everybody can use them.
• It didn’t take the Pirates lengthy to drag the plug on nearer David Bednar, sending him to the minors three video games and two losses into the season.
It was extra of the identical from what we had seen from Bednar in 2024.
The previous All-Star hasn’t been in a position to persistently throw his curveball for strikes. And if he can’t try this, hitters can simply key on his quick ball, which he’s nonetheless throwing within the excessive 90s.
However having only a fastball isn’t adequate, particularly at baseball’s highest degree.
Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.
