RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesFormer Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger isn't buying into head coach Mike McCarthy’s proposal to play veteran Aaron Rodgers for 30 to 40 total snaps over the team’s first two exhibition games.
Speaking on his “ Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger ” podcast, the franchise icon challenged the logic behind subjecting a 42-year-old future Hall of Famer to unnecessary preseason contact while simultaneously starving developmental backups of crucial exhibition reps.
Reports surfaced early in camp that McCarthy hopes to deploy Rodgers for roughly 20 plays per game during the opening stretch of the preseason. Roethlisberger immediately flagged the workload as excessive for a quarterback who already boasts decades of mastery in McCarthy’s system.
"McCarthy wants Aaron to play in the preseason,” explained Roethlisberger. "I think Aaron was like, okay if you want me to type thing. I’m with Aaron on this one.”
Roethlisberger argued that while extended playing time made sense when Rodgers was adjusting to an unfamiliar offense last summer, his existing fluency with McCarthy's playbook renders preseason reps redundant.
"I don't think Aaron needs to play, especially with an offense he knows," Roethlisberger explained. "Last year was a smart sure new offense, new team. Now he's got like this is his like offense. He knows this, right? He doesn't need to be out there in the preseason."
Beyond injury risks, Roethlisberger emphasized the trickle-down impact on depth chart evaluation, noting that giving heavy workloads to a definite QB1 steals valuable game speed experience from backups, especially young ones such as Will Howard and Drew Allar.
"What it also does more importantly is I think it takes reps away from the other guys," Roethlisberger cautioned. "Don't take reps away from those other guys for a Hall of Fame guy that knows the offense."
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Ben Roethlisberger warns McCarthy over Rodgers’ preseason snap count
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