Bears coach Ben Johnson smiled Wednesday when asked whether he wanted to play against Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“Well,” he said, “I’m not playing.”
Coaching against him? Sure.
Johnson said Wednesday that he wants Rodgers to be able to face the Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field. The Steelers quarterback broke his left wrist Sunday and did not practice Wednesday. The Steelers haven’t ruled him out, however.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Aaron Rodgers,” Johnson said before practice. “He’s done this at a high level for an incredible amount of time and if he’s ready to go this week, I would love nothing more to compete against him.”
If Rodgers can’t play, he’ll be replaced by Mason Rudolph. Johnson said offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will do what he’s traditionally done as the play-caller in Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Atlanta.
“I think there’s a pretty good track record of what he wants to be about,” Johnson said.
