The relationship between the head coach and quarterback is the most important on the football field. And sometimes it can involve a few F-bombs.
Amazon Prime viewers likely heard more than they bargained for Thursday night when Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers stared at the sideline for an extended period, arms outstretched, as if he didn’t know what play his head coach wanted him to run.
Eventually, Rodgers shouted, “What the f*ck?! Call it!”
The mic picked up every word of Rodgers’ exasperated shout. His head coach, Mike McCarthy, appeared to retaliate by calling Rodgers a “f*cking asshole.”
“He did this a lot in Cincinnati,” play-by-play man Al Michaels said of Rodgers. “Looking over to the bench. He’s not happy.”
Neither Michaels nor color analyst Kirk Herbstreit commented on Rodgers’ language. Instead, both seemed content to laugh it off and move on to the next play.
The testy exchange between Rodgers and McCarthy is unlikely to lead to any problems, unless the Steelers lose. The two spent the first 13 years of Rodgers’ career together in Green Bay and won a Super Bowl together.
That early first-quarter drive would result in a Steelers touchdown. However, the Browns would thunder back with 21 unanswered points until the Steelers added a field goal late in the first half.
As of this writing, the Browns lead the Steelers 21-10 with 14 minutes left in the fourth quarter.