U mad, bro?: Aaron Rodgers agitation, putrid Pirates offense fill venomous pre-draft void

By this time next week, everyone will be mad about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 draft class.

If they take Shedeur Sanders, then they should’ve taken Jaxson Dart. If they take Jaxson Dart, then they should’ve taken a defensive lineman.

If they take a defensive lineman, then you can bet that they will take the wrong one. And if they trade back to get him, then they shoulda traded up for someone else instead!

That’s what eight straight years without a playoff win will get you: A lack of faith.

But we’ve got a week to go before that here at “U mad, bro?” Thankfully, the Pirates, Penguins and Steelers have given us plenty of other reasons for angst.

Rick emailed about a “First Call” item that quoted The Athletic’s Michael Silver as saying that Aaron Rodgers needed to feel like he was being “swept off his feet” by the Steelers before signing in Pittsburgh.

“I Too Want Rodgers ‘SWEPT OFF HIS FEET’…on His VERY FIRST PLAY IN PITTSBURGH!”

Rick, with the way the Steelers’ offensive line performed at the end of last year, that’s entirely possible.

Here’s an exchange I had with some people about T. J. Watt’s cryptic Instagram post.

Sorry Tim, he has no responsibility to reply to a media narrative.

— Jim_Gardner (@JimGardner24) April 17, 2025

OK, Jim, but doesn’t Watt have a responsibility to avoid creating one?

This would have been a non story without the media interpreting the meaning of the post.

— Jim_Gardner (@JimGardner24) April 17, 2025

Actually, it would’ve been a non-story if he hadn’t posted it in the first place.

Let’s be real. There’s no need to continue caping for Watt over this. C’mon. What do you think he meant by posting it? What do you think the intent was?

Or better said: What do you think the intent has been of his complete radio silence since then?

This guy wants to pile on that topic as well.

In Tim’s world everything is about him and his narrative. We all orbit around the media’s constant desire for attention.

— PghMediaMedia (@PghMediaMedia) April 17, 2025

Desire for attention? Did a media member hack his account and post the picture on Instagram or did he do it himself? Who is the one looking for attention exactly?

Henry has an idea for a Pirates promotion.

“How about a ‘Millionaire’s Below The Mendoza Line’ promotion? One player per game who currently is holding a batting average under the Mendoza line must participate in the pierogi race. With one stipulation. They must run backward against the pierogies.”

First of all, that kinda sounds like a job for Will Craig.

Also, why make it just one guy? There are five pierogies. On Saturday, there were six players in the lineup hitting under .200. Maybe have it be one Pirate running backward while the other five put on the costumes.

I can see it now: Somehow both Oliver Onion and Cheese Chester will get thrown out at third base on the same play in the bottom of the fifth inning.

More sports

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• Tim Benz: As Steelers smother George Pickens trade talk, others give it oxygen
• Steelers notebook: Jaylen Warren signs 1-year tender; DL group has players in all 'shapes and sizes'

Steve pops off about Mike Sullivan’s teardown of the Penguins after their late-season loss to the Bruins.

“Curious as to why he felt it necessary to suddenly show his dissatisfaction with the team only after the season has been long lost, the postseason missed again, and after the 2nd to the last game of the season. Like, now he’s mad? That was the tipping point. A meaningless game played only because it was scheduled and it’s the rules to play out the season, no matter what. He wants better effort there?”

I kinda felt the same way too, Steve. I certainly get why he is upset. I just wish that he was that upset in November after games like that one.

And I wish he expressed his dismay to the players in the locker room as sternly as he does to the media in postgame interviews.

If he does, then the message rarely gets through.

Finally, @Incincerator sent me a message about Aaron Rodgers.

Screw @AaronRodgers12 I hope the Steelers never sign him and if they do I hope he gets booed out of town.

— I Am Groot (@Incincerator) April 21, 2025

I’m pretty sure the concept of “booing out of town” doesn’t really work. If it did, the Pirates would have a new owner by now.