They say that a quarterback should never get knocked down in practice. That’s a bad look for the defense, but if your own offensive line doesn’t care enough to pick you up, there is a deeper problem—something that would bother a veteran like Aaron Rodgers. So, during a practice session, when the offense didn’t extend help to QB Skylar Thompson, Rodgers took it upon himself to set things straight. Hear it from the man himself.

The Steelers QB was on teammate Cam Heyward’s podcast on Tuesday, where he stated: “One really important moment I think was, I was telling a friend this the other day, but Skylar got knocked down early in camp and I walked out there like, ‘What the hell just happened?’ And I looked back, and nobody was walking out there.”

Since it happened when Thompson was at QB, it is possible that it was the second or third team offensive line that didn’t help him up.

“And I told the line, ‘Don’t you ever let that happen again.’ I said, ‘We got to protect each other. And you guys are the policemen out there on the field. You’re the big brothers out there. You protect everybody from DK to me to whoever is in their quarterback or whoever is in their running back. I don’t care if it’s preseason, practice, whatever. You got to protect them.’ And the next time something happened about a week later, what happened?

“Zach [Frazier] was in there. Pat [Freiermuth] was in there. If Zach is in there, you know Mason [McCormick] is in there, and then I saw Troy [Fautanu] going in there, and then Spencer [Anderson]. I was like, ‘That’s what it looks like’,” he said on ‘Not Just Football with Cam Heyward‘. For Rodgers, that was the moment it clicked. The offensive line had started to embrace the idea of brotherhood and let the rest of the field know they weren’t a group to mess with.

Aaron Rodgers’ presence has already started reshaping the culture inside Acrisure Stadium. For instance, Steelers left tackle Broderick Jones revealed what it was like working with the veteran during his media availability on Monday. He said it was a love/hate relationship because the younger players are not always on the same page as Rodgers. In fact, leaving left guard Isaac Seumalo, the rest of the starting offensive line are in their early twenties. But here’s the problem.

Rodgers shouldn’t be the one teaching the basics. Steelers Nation is now pointing fingers at offensive line coach Pat Meyer, whose job is to instill those very values. Protecting teammates, standing up for one another, and creating accountability should start with the coaching staff. And so, many fans shared their thoughts in the comment section.

Steelers Nation questions Pat Meyer’s leadership…

So as soon as Aaron Rodgers’ story started making the rounds online, the Terrible Towel Army wasted no time dragging offensive line coach Pat Meyer into the fire. Comments flooded social media, and the message was loud and clear. Fans wrote:

• “Meyer should’ve already been gone. Rodgers will have the line in better shape than the damn OL coach.”
• “How does Meyer keep his job?”

And while it’s unlikely Rodgers is about to moonlight as the O-line coach, it’s obvious that he naturally views himself as a leader. Still, Rodgers downplayed the idea of being the only leader of the offense. Instead, he pointed at the younger group as the key: “When we’re going to take off as an offense is when those young guys… start to figure it out and realize, ‘Oh, I can be a leader.’ That doesn’t mean I’ve got to step outside of myself personality-wise, but maybe just give a little bit more to this thing. I think it’s going to going to help us take off.”

Regardless, plenty of fans kept circling back to the same issue. Even former NFL player Trai Essex was unhappy with the situation:

• “I just read that A Rod had to reprimand the OL to go help Skylar up. If that’s the case, I’m side eyeing the hell out of Meyer. This sh-t has been driving me crazy the last few years. OL not running down to help the RB after a hard run. Not helping the QB up after a sack. That tells me you are only concerned about your job and you aren’t in tune with what the essence of what being HOG truly is! And that is an environment and expectation set by the OL coach. Glad #8 brought attention to it before the season started.”

Not every corner of Steelers Nation is buying into the patience that Rodgers spoke about. Some fans flat-out called for sweeping changes on the headset side.

• “Please replace the OL coach and D coordinator, please.”

But as per reports, the Steelers have no plans to replace Meyer. Still, the criticisms are there. Under Meyer, Pittsburgh’s line has often been a slow burn. In each of his first two seasons, it took six to eight weeks before the unit found any real chemistry. And while last year seemed promising at the start, things crumbled down the stretch, with the front five delivering some of their worst football in three years when it mattered most.

• “Meyer is the primary reason for the failures of this offense. Has been for some time. The only coach in the NFL teaching a different technique than more accomplished ones. See Dobson.”

Meyer isn’t going anywhere for now. But if the 2025 season comes and goes without a noticeable leap forward from the offensive line, it’s hard to picture Meyer hanging around in the City of Bridges any longer. What do you think?