FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. predicts Rodgers OUTPLAYS Fields in Steelers vs Jets Week 1 showdown
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Game on the docket, folks. Aaron Rogers will make his first start under Mike Tomlin for the Steelers, facing his former team in the New York Jets, who moved on from him. Meanwhile, Justin Fields will be experiencing those same emotions, taking on the black and yellow in the uniform he used to dawn. This matchup is Sunday at 1 Eastern in Metife. Jmack, do you think a win would be sweeter for Fields or for Rogers? It’s Justin Fields for me. I think that’s the obvious answer. Justin Fields as a young quarterback still trying to figure out where he fits in the NFL landscape. I think on top of that, you look at Justin Fields, he spent last year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, had a winning record. And at the end of the season, not only did Pittsburgh move on from Justin Fields, they moved on from Fields without a plan. They let him walk out the door. Had no idea what Aaron Rogers was going to do. Didn’t go after Sam Darnold. Had no clear-cut plan of action to say, “You know what? We’re letting go of Justin Fields because we’ve improved the position and we have this guy that we’re going to sign. For me, if I’m Justin Fields, that’s a terrible feeling in the sense of this is an organization, an offensive coordinator, a head coach who had me in their building for an entire season, saw me go out there and perform when Russell Wilson was down, and then bench me with a winning record, never went back to me when the team struggled. And right when free agency picked up, I found a suitor for me. I found someone that appreciated me. I want to go prove to the New York Jets that I was worth the love and the appreciation by going out there and defeating my former team. I look at it for Aaron Rodgers. The Jets were in a totally different situation, rebuilding, bringing in a whole new cast of people, new general manager, new head coach. it made sense to move on from Aaron Rodgers at his age and what the productivity was over the last two years with the injury included for Justin Fields. You can’t imagine or come up with a reason why it made sense for Pittsburgh to move on from him at that point. So to me, the clear-cut answer is Justin Fields. It would be much sweeter of a victory for him. Stephen, go ahead Kimberly. Go ahead, Kimberly. Again, disappointed with Jason because the answer is not obvious that it’s Justin Fields because the answer is Aaron Rodgers. Number one, he’s about to be 42 years old. So, he’s on the back and this is potentially it for him. Also, the Steelers did want to Justin. That was their plan. And Justin’s the one who spurned them and said there’s haggling about guaranteed money. Justin went on. This is an opportunity where I can be the starter. When I look at the Steelers, they went all in. They had a very unsteeler-like off season. We’re going to go out, pay all this money to DK Metaf. We’re going to go out and get Aaron Rodgers. He may be almost 42, but we have visions and talking about what we could be a playoff team. Mike Tomlin never having a losing season. Not just that, but Aaron Rogers is returning to the scene of the crime from the standpoint of of I was there when he tore his when he tore the Achilles. That was that moment, that pregame moment of him running out with the American flag. Met life had never been popping like that in a long time. And for him to have that 2-year period with the Jets where he was just a shell of himself. Now he goes to Pittsburgh there. People are now wondering like, is he slow? Has he lost a step? Can he be the Aaron Rogers of old? To me, it is clear because Justin Field’s career is far from over. There is still time to figure out where he can land. And if if it’s not the Jets, he could be a serviceable backup, a starter. His story is not yet written. Whereas for Aaron Rodgers, it’s the last chapter and this book is about to be closed. That’s why you’re wrong, Kimberly. Because with Aaron Rogers, it’s his last chapter. With Justin Fields, he’s trying to write his first one because let me tell you something right now. Rewrite it, I would say, because this is his third team over the last few years and nobody seems to want him. And I think what Jay Max said was very profound. when you were starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, you won more than you lost and they still benched you for Russell Wilson. And then they let you walk out the door pretty much unchallenged for crying out loud for a dude that tore his Achilles two years ago, four plays into a season, came back last year, was still a shell of himself in terms of QBR, had 28 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, threw for over 3,500 yard, 3,800 yards, but still uh wasn’t it was just a shell of himself. And the Steelers still said, “We’ll wait to make sure we have him. You can go ahead and leave.” And so, if you’re Justin Fields, you got a new coach in Aaron Glenn, you got a New York Jets franchise that you’ve taken over, uh, that there’s some ray of hope because they’ve had 14 consecutive seasons where they’ve missed the playoffs. They’ve had nine consecutive losing seasons. I mean, this is a morabund franchise. Purgatory is their middle name. And when you look at it from that standpoint, if you’re looking at Justin Fields and he has an opportunity to resurrect that, that would be definitely sweeter. The Steelers have grander expectations. They’re not going to be defined by one game. I personally believe they need to win early, don’t get me wrong. So, I get your point. But I do think that because of Justin Fields trying to have a career, that’s entirely different than somebody writing the final chapter of a Hall of Fame career. Stephen A, you proved my point just now because when you look at the Steelers schedule, the first half in theory on paper is easier than the rest of the schedule. If they don’t come out and beat a Jets team where, like you say, more a bun, looking for playoff appearances, trying to have a good record, another changeover as far as head coach and GM and all that. What does that say about the Steelers, a team that you just said has lofty expectations? Correct. Allow me to answer that. Allow me to answer that. You’re absolutely right in the point that you’re making. My answer to that would be Mike Tomlin. The same Kimberly Martin that just articulated so eloquently what her point was is the same Kimberly Martin that has come on the show on countless occasions saying how you cannot count Mike Tomlin out. That no matter what he does, somehow someway he ends up achieving the impossible or achieving things that you didn’t foreshadow or foresee. We’re talking about the Baltimore Ravens, the Cincinnati Bengals being two teams that’s perceived as being better than the than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Okay? We’re talking about a Pittsburgh Steelers team wondering whether or not they can even make the playoffs. And somehow someway in 18 years, Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. So, that’s not somebody who’s going to be made or broken by what happens in game one of an NFL season. He’s proven that he can defy odds and make you at the very least respectable no matter what our expectations were and no matter what transpires early. That Aaron Glenn hasn’t achieved that yet and the New York Jets franchise damn sure hasn’t achieved that. We’ll leave it there. The Steelers are favored by three against the Jets in Metife. When we come back, good appetizer for the NFL for the kickoff of the NFL season. I don’t know about the carrots and all that, but but like Yeah. Yeah. and it but but for me it’s how about week one uh Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers going to New York to play his old team in the New York Jets. That’s a great appetizer. What do you expect? I have no feel whatsoever for what to expect in this game. What do you expect, Jac? You expect Aaron Rogers to go in there and you just talked about it, his former team. You talked about the fact that when he went and met with Aaron Glenn, got on a plane, flew himself there and the disrespect he felt. You’re walking back into that stadium. You got to believe he’s going to be juiced up with an opportunity to throw the ball to DK Medav and try to make plays. Goss can’t get over the cap. You picked yesterday the the Jets to win this game. Well, because I’m looking at what’s not a not a very recent photo of Aaron Rogers. Okay. I think if if that Aaron Rogers were rolling in there uh this weekend, then maybe. But I don’t I just don’t see 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh offense coming together right at the start of the season. Maybe they get there, but I think there’s still questions on the offensive line. He wasn’t there for, you know, most of the off season. I I think it it might be a little bit of a work in progress. All right, so that’s the appetizer on Sunday. What’s the side dish? Yeah, so listen, you can’t go wrong with French fries like as a side dish. And so for me, my side dish is that New York that New York Giants front four against Jaden Daniels week one. Like we talk about the Giants possibly having the best front four in the National Football League. And oh by the way, you open up with one of the most dynamic quarterbacks we have in our game. I’ve had a lot of people, Jam, because I haven’t seen you in a while. Had a lot of people in here suggesting they think the Giants are a sneaky interesting pick for an upset in week one. The Giants are a team there’s been all positivity coming out of there. I look at if it is an upset when we wake up Monday morning, you look at the back of the New York Post, it’s going to be a picture of Tyrone Chasy and Cam Scatterbo. If they’re winning this game, they’ve controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and the running backs are going wild. You have a good feel coming out of the Giants for a change. Look, I mean, Abdul Carter would be another candidate, I think, for that back page in the post if they were to win this game. You know, adding him to that defensive front that already has Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, Kavon Thibido. They feel really, really good about that group up front. You know, we’ll see how the offense comes together around Russell Wilson and how soon they go to the rookie. And then the main dish, what is your choice? And it comes Sunday nights. Wings. Like what is football without wings? Specifically Buffalo Wings. Buffalo Wings. And oh, how about Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills going up against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Like that is an excellent week one opener right there. So here’s what we decided to do in our meeting this morning. The question was posed by our staff and it’s the right question. Who needs the championship more? Is it Josh or is it Lamar? The answer is obviously both. They are both already Heat up
