The Green Bay Packers (3-5) are gearing up to face the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3) in Week 10. For the Packers, the game marks a great challenge. Neither Aaron Rodgers nor Hall of Famer Brett Favre ever won a game on the road in Pittsburgh. In fact, the Packers have not won a game in the Steel City since 1970. Bart Starr was the quarterback of the Packers at the time, and the win was his final victory as a player.
While the Steelers offense leaves a great deal to be desired, their defense is among the best in the NFL. Of course, one of their best players is former Wisconsin Badgers linebacker TJ Watt. The 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year already has 9.5 sacks this season and is highly regarded as one of the best defensive players in the league.
Earlier this week, Packers quarterback Jordan Love had high praise for Watt and the Steelers’ defense, complimenting them on how hard they make life on opposing quarterbacks.
Green Bay Packers Quarterback Jordan Love Has High Praise for Pittsburgh Steelers Edge Rusher TJ Watt
While addressing reporters this week, Love was asked about the challenge of facing the stout Steelers pass rush. He repliedreplied
“I think every team has some good pass rushers and you see them every week. You just have to get a feel for where they’re at.
“T.J.’s a great player, plays with really good effort on every play, and I think they’re whole defense does a good job of that. Something we’ve just got to be able to match. He has a really good get-off. He’s a quick player, explosive, and he’s also powerful.
“He likes to go up top, try and get around the edge and squeeze the pocket in. He’s a quick pass rusher and he has some pretty good moves.”
As one can see, Love thinks very highly of Watt. He had nothing bad to say about him or the Steelers’ defense at all.
And yet, one Steelers reporter took exception to what Love said.
Pittsburgh Steelers Writer Goes Off on Jordan Love for Poor Choice of Words When Praising TJ Watt
Matthew Marczi of Steelers Depot apparently did not appreciate Love’s choice of words when describing Watt’s skills and high level of play. Apparently, if one is going to praise the former Badger, one must use nothing less than great Shakespearean vocabulary”
Marczi wrote:
“To say that Watt has pretty good moves is like saying that Mozart was pretty good at music or that Kubrick was pretty good at movies. They don’t serve pretty good food at Michelin-star restaurants. You’re not going to get pretty good service at a five-star hotel. And you’re not going to get just a pretty good move out of T.J. Watt.”
Of all the things that one can get upset about in this world, an opposing quarterback not using what one considers adequate adjectives to praise the best player on one’s favorite team should probably be very far down the list.
Truth be told, this is an Aaron Rodgers-level stretch in terms of placing a chip on one’s shoulder. Love’s a quarterback, not a thesaurus. His saying Watt has “pretty good” moves is far from a declaration of war or meant to be a slight by any means.
This is looking for a reason to criticize where there isn’t any.
