Steelers receiver Mike Williams sent a message on social media to his former quarterback after catching a game-winning touchdown pass in his debut with Pittsburgh. Aaron Rodgers, who claimed he was unaware of the “Red Line” hashtag Williams applied to a celebratory Instagram post, laughed about it when reporters asked about it on Wednesday.
Does Rodgers have a response to Williams?
“I don’t have one,” Rodgers said, chuckling. ‘I like Mike. I’m happy for Mike.’
Rodgers publicly criticized Williams for taking the wrong route on the play that turned into the game-sealing interception during a Monday night loss to the Bills last month. Rodgers said Williams should have been on the “red line” which (on a practice field) runs five yards from the sideline. When Williams wasn’t where he should have been, Rodgers adjusted the throw and the pass was picked off.
In the vast majority of situations, quarterbacks don’t publicly blame receivers for incompletions or interceptions, even when it is their fault. Rodgers, who later claimed he was just answering a question, broke that unwritten rule.
Williams was clearly still thinking about it, even after being traded to Pittsburgh. And Williams has every reason to do so. Rodgers could have simply said it was a miscommunication. Instead, he placed the blame specifically on Williams.
It’s no surprise. Rodgers puts a lot of stock in his obscenely impressive touchdown-to-interception ratio, as such gaudy stats support the argument that he is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, despite only having one Super Bowl appearance and one Super Bowl win.
Williams is now playing with a quarterback who has two Super Bowl appearances. And Russell Wilson has never, publicly or privately, complained about a teammate. Even if he could have taken the position that the interception that cost him a second ring should be credited to receiver Jermaine Kearse because he failed to execute the pick/rub on Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler that allowed receiver Ricardo Lockette could win the championship. winning touchdown pass.
