NFL Preseason
LATROBE, Pa. — There’s a twinkle in Aaron Rodgers’ blue-gray eyes these days.
He’s energized by both the newness of his surroundings as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the feeling of familiarity associated with once again having a place within a stable and storied NFL franchise just as he did during those 18 seasons in Green Bay.
The Steelers just wrapped up training camp — a four-week-long football retreat held on the picturesque campus of St. Vincent College, roughly an hour east of Pittsburgh. The setting — a return to college dorm life, isolation from the outside world, cafeteria team meals, practices in the heat of the day — has aided Rodgers in his transition to his third, and likely final, NFL team.
After two New York Jets seasons marred by injury and dysfunction, Rodgers finds welcome in a Steelers culture wherein every player understands his place within the franchise, thanks largely to the leadership of a head coach Rodgers truly respects: Mike Tomlin — the longest tenured coach of all four of North America’s major sports leagues. Over the last month, Rodgers has worked to learn his teammates and a foreign playbook. The Steelers, in turn, have begun to truly learn him.
