Aaron Rodgers on Mike Tomlin training camp philosophy: ‘No fights, but if something starts, whip his ass’

Training camp is underway in the NFL, and for the Pittsburgh Steelers, everyone is excited to see how Aaron Rodgers fits in. But one of the things Rodgers is most looking forward to is who the first training camp fight will be between.

Although never encouraged, fights at training camps is a pretty common occurrence in the NFL. Coaches would never tell their players to cause one, but often times it can also show a sign of competitiveness and edge that is needed in such a physical sport.

Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, Rodgers revealed that he is still waiting for the first fight to break out. He also relayed the hilarious message that coach Mike Tomlin gave to the team on the matter.

“He’d definitely not promoting fights,” the veteran QB clarified, before adding, “That’s one of the rules: No fighting, but if something starts, whip his ass.”

If a fight does occur, typically it happens up fronth between the offensive and defensive line, where all the shoving happens. That’s why Rodgers has a couple of offensive linemen in mind for his prediction on who will be involved in Pittsburgh first scuffle.

“We’re all taking side bets on who the first fight’s gonna be,” he said. “If I’m a betting man, I’m saying that either Zach Frazier or Mason McCormick will be involved in the first fight.”

Aaron Rodgers is entering his first season with the Steelers after two years with the New York Jets. Prior to that, he played the first 18 seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers, where he won four MVP awards and one Super Bowl.

Now 41, the quarterback is hoping for another run at a Super Bowl with the Steelers, who went 10-7 last season before losing in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. A lot of that starts in training camp where he’ll look to develop chemsitry with his new receivers and offensive line.

He’ll also hope that the team develops a sense of toughness, even if it takes a couple of fights. Rodgers shared one final story on the topic from his time playing for the Packers under coach Mike McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native.

“I always knew if we fought in practice, that was back when we had two-a-days, Mike would be texting me after practicing saying, ‘Hey, come on over and have a couple Hi-C’s,'” the QB joked.