It’s no secret that new Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has no love loss for the New York Jets. The quarterback has previously been critical of the team’s leadership, specifically how the organization told him they were planning to release him this offseason.
But in a more recent conversation with NFL analyst Mark Schlereth, Rodgers was more critical about the Jets from a schematic standpoint. Specifically, Rodgers blasted New York’s running game during the 2023-24 seasons.
“One thing Aaron and I had a conversation about when he was with the Jets was how abysmal their running game was and how schematically it made no sense,” Schlereth said on The Stinkin Truth Podcast. “I brought up the conversation. I started the conversation, and then Aaron went on for about a 25-minute diatribe on just their run game.”
The statistics support Rodgers’ argument. The Jets finished with the second-fewest rushing yards in the NFL last season. Only the Las Vegas Raiders had fewer.
Running back Breece Hall, who averaged 5.8 yards per carry as a rookie before an injury in 2022, posted 4.2 yards per rush last season.
During the 2023 campaign with Rodgers on the sidelines for all but handful of plays, the Jets were ranked 22nd in rushing.
Aaron Rodgers Rips Jets Running Game
Schlereth, who, in so many words, admitted on the podcast that he is close friends with Rodgers, agreed. The former offensive linemen wasn’t impressed with the Jets running scheme last season either.
Schlereth explained that’s actually how the conversation started. He had questions about the Jets poor rushing attack and while asking Rodgers about it, the quarterback went on a “diatribe.”
“It was just the worst, schematic run game I’ve ever watched in the NFL,” Schlereth said on his podcast. “I kept watching plays. Like, there’s a difference between having guys that can’t block people. I’ve seen that too, right?
“But having your players do things that make zero sense. Like, this makes no sense. Why in the world would you block this, this way?
“There’s zero chance of this being successful.”
The Jets fell behind in a lot of games, which could explain some of why they didn’t post more rushing yards. From a yards per carry standpoint, the Jets finished 16th in the league.
But the lack of total production put a lot of the offensive weight on Rodgers. The Jets also scored only eight rushing touchdowns, which was tied for second-fewest in the league.
Schlereth Praises Steelers Ground Attack
The Steelers were 11th in rushing yards last season. Interestingly, though, the team finished behind the Jets in the yards per carry category.
Should the lack of efficiency with Pittsburgh’s ground game be alarming for Rodgers, especially since the Steelers didn’t re-sign starting running back Najee Harris? Schlereth, at least, argued no.
“One thing I know about Arthur Smith, he does a great job in the run game,” Schlereth said. “And he does a great job with personal groupings. Multiple tight ends, multiple running backs. Really run the ball … and marrying the running game with the play-action game. He’s excellent at that.”
With Smith’s running philosophy, Schlereth argued the Steelers will “take care of” first and second down for Rodgers. Then, the quarterback will have to shine on what head coach Mike Tomlin has often referred to as “the weighty down,” which is third down.
That sounds great on paper. But again, the question is whether the Steelers running game can accomplish that without Harris.
Although he wasn’t particularly efficient, Harris did gain 1,000 rushing yards in his four seasons with the Steelers. This offseason, though, he left in free agency.
Jaylen Warren will replace him along with third-round rookie Kaleb Johnson.
