Rodgers opens with pick: Got it out of the way

LATROBE, Pa. -- Quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed his archetypal walk successful his archetypal squad play Thursday day astatine the Pittsburgh Steelers' opening grooming campy practice.

The lone problem? It wasn't to 1 of his violative accomplishment presumption players. It wasn't to an violative subordinate astatine all.

Instead, linebacker Patrick Queen picked disconnected the four-time MVP connected his opening throw, prompting large "Ooos" from the assemblage of a mates 1000 astatine St. Vincent College.

But to Rodgers, the interception wasn't a atrocious omen for his Steelers' tenure.

"It's bully to get that retired the way," Rodgers said. "Anybody that's watched maine signifier implicit the years, you similar to effort definite throws astatine definite times, and anybody that's watched maine successful the games knows I've been beauteous stellar taking attraction of the shot implicit the years.

"It's going to beryllium a bully situation for maine throwing this vigor each azygous day. I look guardant to it, but I'm going to propulsion immoderate picks, but I'm going to propulsion immoderate touchdowns, too."

Rodgers didn't propulsion immoderate touchdowns successful Thursday's 90-minute practice, but helium did implicit team-period passes to wide receiver Scotty Miller, choky extremity Darnell Washington and wide receiver DK Metcalf.

Rodgers had conscionable 1 completion to Metcalf connected 3 targets successful squad periods, but the backmost wasn't acrophobic astir the pair's connection.

"DK and I person worked retired successful the offseason together, got a bully relationship," Rodgers said. "We talked astir a batch of shot stuff. We FaceTime, we texted during the offseason aft galore camps, truthful we've got a bully relationship. It's going to conscionable support connected growing."

It volition besides support increasing successful the dorms astatine St. Vincent College, wherever the brace are suitemates, acknowledgment to a Mike Tomlin-assigned arrangement.

"I was secretly hoping it wasn't a large lineman oregon something," Rodgers said with a sly grin. "Maybe idiosyncratic had cared astir their hygiene a small bit. So erstwhile I walked successful I saw a modular suitcase. I said, 'Oh, I deliberation it's going to beryllium good. This is astir apt DK.'"

Like Rodgers, Metcalf was amazed the brace were surviving truthful adjacent to each other.

"He knocked connected my door, and I thought it was the beforehand door, and it was really my bath door," Metcalf said. "He was like, 'Oh man, I was hoping it was you.' I was like, 'I did not deliberation I was going to person a roommate, but gladsome to spot you, too.'

"It was a bully acquisition conscionable to spot his look and knowing that we could proceed conversations extracurricular the gathering room."

Rodgers isn't a alien to staying successful dorms connected a assemblage field for grooming campy aft spending 14 seasons astatine St. Norbert College for the Green Bay Packers' camp. And though Rodgers is simply a larger-than-life persona with his shot pedigree and popular civilization presence, Tomlin said helium wasn't disquieted astir Rodgers fitting into the Steelers' culture.

"When successful Rome, he's going to beryllium Roman, and it's our occupation to thatch him however we bash things," Tomlin said aft Thursday's practice. "But not lone him, guys similar Jalen Ramsey and others, man, we got a batch of caller important players. As a coach, I clasp that situation of educating them not lone astir the things that we worth but however we spell astir our concern here. They've each been truly receptive to it."

The Steelers' mode of doing concern shifted this offseason arsenic the squad went all-in to overhaul the roster and bring successful a fig of high-profile acquisitions including Rodgers, Metcalf and Ramsey. General manager Omar Khan said Wednesday that helium was gathering a squad to triumph the Super Bowl. A time later, Rodgers expressed his assurance successful the squad Khan assembled.

"I deliberation astir of the 32 teams would astir apt accidental thing to that accord astatine this clip of the year, but I deliberation that there's truly lone six to 8 that truly person a morganatic chance," Rodgers said. "Sometimes it's 10 to 12 and there's teams that astonishment you, but I would accidental connected insubstantial we're astir apt 1 of those 10 to 12."

And, helium added, turning a insubstantial title into a existent Lombardi Trophy starts with grooming camp.

"It's coming unneurotic times similar this with these 17 oregon truthful practices that we person present and uncovering the chemistry and hanging retired with each different ... increasing unneurotic done our practice," helium said. "Mike wants to signifier astatine the hottest clip of the day, which is interesting, but I emotion it conscionable due to the fact that it's a stressor. We spot however guys respond to adversity."