Stephen A. RIPS Dan Orlovsky for leaving Patrick Mahomes off his Top 🔟 list 👀 | First Take

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith and Dan Orlovsky discuss expectations for Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers before Stephen A. evaluates Dan’s QB list.

0:00 Which version of Aaron Rodgers do you expect in 2025?
2:50 Dan Orlovsky’s expectations for Rodgers
7:50 Stephen A. reacts to Patrick Mahomes not making Dan Orlovsky’s top 10 list
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Aaron Rodgers hasn’t won a playoff game since 2021, and the Steelers haven’t accomplished that same feat since the 2016 season. Now, the two married together hope to end that drought with Mike Tomlin at the helm, who still has never had a losing season in his 18 years as the head coach in Pittsburgh. RC was at Steelers camp recently and had this big takeaway. I can confirm it. Aaron Rodgers can still really throw the football. It’s crazy in person. 2010 2011 Super Bowl flashbacks. Stephen A, are you your your face? I don’t even want to ask the question. Just go ahead. So, let me get this straight. Dio Ryan Clark is one of the best football analysts in America. This man knows football backwards and forwards. A Super Bowl champion. He is an endless we are and should be very, very proud to have in our stable. And he’s been talking football every damn day for years. He’s been watching Aaron Rogers every damn day for years. And suddenly he goes to Pittsburgh and it’s a face it. He’s there in person and suddenly an epiphany hits him. Yes. An epiphany hits him. Yes, he’s on Monday Night Football. He’s on NFL Live. He’s on Get Up. He’s on First Take. He’s got his own show to pivot. He talk about football all the time. And suddenly, when you saw Aaron Rogers in person, now we’ve reached the conclusion he could throw. He could really, really throw. Ryan Clark’s got some explaining to do. He’s got some explaining to do. I don’t understand that at all. Okay? So, let’s get that out the way first. Secondly, again, it’s the preseason. I’m rooting for that bad man that is Aaron Rogers. But we all know his most successful years was when he’s had, you know, big- time route runners running the football with him. His hard count is is is obviously something to be rivaled. We know what he can do. The defenses, but DK Metaf is not that dude, Dan. You know that. I mean, the brothers is a bull, you know, and and in in the red zone, he’s listen, he’s spectacular. I’m not saying he can’t run routes, please don’t get me wrong. I’m saying he’s a stud. But he’s a stud because of his size, his athleticism. You throw the ball up there, he’ll go get it. You know, that kind of thing as opposed to it being, you know, timing specific, per se. I’m worried about that with with with Aaron Rogers and him to see what kind of chemistry we get from that. It remains to be seen, but I believe in Rogers. I believe in these Pittsburgh Steelers. I believe they’ll make some noise. It’s just that I was thrown off because Ryan Clark suddenly speaks glowingly about his ability to throw the football after seeing him in person. I didn’t know Ryan Clark needed that to know. That’s my concern. That’s just me. Okay. So, I’m glad you clarified the DK thing because I thought we were going to go on a off the rails conversation. No. Um, no. No. I’ll answer the question. What version of Rogers do I expect? I think it’s fair to say Aaron Rogers should eclipse 30 touchdowns and 4,000 yards this year. Anybody that said he was awful last year, I like that just wasn’t really watching. He would they were just maybe looking at stat lines, especially later on in the season when he started to play better football. This is last year when everyone said he was the worst player ever in the history of the world type of stuff. his last two seasons. They aren’t the MVP caliber seasons, but they’ve been good seasons. Um, I I would tell you I think there’s a couple things that probably are out of his control that matter. Stephen A, how good the offensive line plays, a big conversation, him and Arthur Smith. I’d also tell you DK’s awesome. Pat Fri really good. Another receiver will have to go ahead and step forward. Is it Calvin Austin? Is it Roman Wilson? for him to kind of like everyone’s sitting there going playoffs and you know Super Bowl contender. I’m not there. I’m not remotely close to being there with this football team. I think Aaron plays good football, but for them to like legitimately have playoff chances that that other receiver is going to have to step forward, that’s the big question or one of the big question marks that I have. J Janu Janu Smith being there now with Fryouth. How do you feel about the combination John Smith? How do you feel about the combination of those two there together? And how do you feel about the fact that Jaylen Ramsay is there now, but at the expense of losing Ma Fitzpatrick? So, I like the addition of Janu Smith. Arthur Smith’s liked John for a while since their time at Tennessee. I can see them playing with two tight ends on the field. I can see them playing with three tight ends on the field. Don’t forget Washington is in I think his third season, the big tight end out of Georgia. So I I I I those additions are good. Those additions aren’t closing the gap between them and Baltimore, them in Buffalo, them in Kansas City. I don’t think them in Houston, Cincinnati is going to be able to score. So I still see them as the outside looking in. Jaylen’s a tremendous player. Mink is a loss. I’ve talked about this a week or two and Stephen A, you’ll know this as a fan. That defense doesn’t show up in the playoffs. That defense in the playoffs, their last five rounds in the playoffs, their last five playoff losses, that defense gives up like 33 a game or 31 a game, something like that. So for all that we say about the quarterback position in Pittsburgh and that that defense for them to win the playoff game, which is something you’ve talked about that hasn’t happened mind-blowing in like eight years, that defense has got to show up just as much if not more so than Aaron Rogers. So you’re look you’re pushing 10 years. So um those are good announce good good good additions, but are they better than Baltimore? No. Are they better than Buffalo? No. No. Are they better than Kansas City? No. No. Are they better than Denver? No. No. Are they better than Houston? No. Those are five teams unquestionably that are better. Somebody in the South is going to come out. So again, you’re looking outside in. I think I think it’s important. Yeah. But I also think it’s important to remind America that you were the dude that said, you know, Dallas Cowboys are pretty damn good. I mean, if you take out the first seven or eight teams in the NFC, I mean, they really got a chance. I said they were a playoff contending football team. You actually said you actually said that on the air. You actually said that on the air. You named seven or eight teams ahead of the Dallas Cowboys. With the Steelers, you could only come up with five. So that’s a good deal. That’s a good deal. And that’s not putting them like there’s some questionable teams as well. There’s some teams that they’re probably going to be like the Chargers. Questionable, but you had definitive seven or eight teams ahead of the Cowboys while calling them a playoff contender. So if that’s a playoff contender, then the Steelers will qualify as a playoff contender. That’s all I’m saying. You think the You think the Steelers are in the playoffs? I think they I think they got a chance to be in the playoffs. Yes. Yeah. I know they have a chance to be in the playoffs. All 30. I don’t care about the playoffs. I don’t I I don’t care. I don’t care about that. I care about them winning a playoff game. It doesn’t matter to me anymore if the Steelers make the playoffs. I’m tired of them going home without winning a playoff game. Okay. It’s the Steelers. Damn it. It’s the Steelers. It’s unacceptable. You got to win a playoff game. That’s what I want rather than if you if you ain’t gonna do that, I’d rather you not even go to the playoffs. I don’t know. After I saw RC’s tweet, they might be going back to the Super Bowl. Well, Dan made his list of the top 10 quarterbacks based on mechanics on ESPN.com. A list that features the likes of two MVP quarterbacks and Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, but no Patrick Mahomes. Stephen A, what’s your reaction to Mahomes not making Dan’s list? I’m just I’m just interested in some members of, you know, security or whatever. I wish we had a nurse in places. Somebody to drug test Dan. Somebody to drug test him to make sure everything is okay. What kind of damn sense does that make? First of all, why would this list even exist? You’re to you’re leaving off a man that has played in in in five of the last damn six Super Bowls. Mechanic. That’s what you’re doing. That’s what we’re talking about wi-i with with with Patrick Mahomes. You’re leaving him off this list. That’s like the equivalent, Dan. I I want to put it in this perspective for you, Dan. That’s like the equivalent of Steph Curry shooting jump shots. And you’re saying he’s not on a top 10 list because his mechanics don’t look ideal. Only Dan Olowski would do something like this. This makes absolutely no sense that this is even such a list. Okay, hold on. Okay. Wait, wait, wait, wait. I’ve got follow-ups cuz we don’t have a lot of time. What is this qualifier for mechanics? Like, why’ you do a list about mechanics? Yeah. Well, there’s like seven different lists. It’s arm strength, its mechanics, its pocket presence, its running ability, it’s second reaction. So, um, the reason why Patrick’s not in the top 10 is I would argue that Patrick’s greatness is because he’s not mechanically flawless. I’ve argued that one of the great things his parents did was not get him private coaching because he’s got magic that is uncoachable. Um mechanics are like the repeatable consistent throwing motion. Joe’s at the top, but then a player like Justin Herbert, he’s probably a like mine a key or something too robotic. Jared Goff, Dak Prescott. So in other words, so in other words, so in other words, your list means nothing because it doesn’t equate to winning. Absolutely nothing. This isn’t a top 10 winners list. Your explanation. It’s not a top 10 winners list. Your explanation, not mine. It’s not a top 10 winners list. Yeah. I just want you to know that this top 10 list, hold on. Hold on. I’m reading the topic bar. Stephen A. I just want you to know that it’s sponsored, too. This mechanics list is sponsored. I’m a Dan up high. Way to milk it with that. I