Aaron Rodgers' recent public comments about Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson have sparked plenty of discussion.
During Wednesday's Steelers practice, Rodgers threw an interception to cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. on a pass intended for Wilson. After practice, Rodgers explained that Wilson had made a "repeat mistake" on an under route.
The comments quickly spread across social media and caught the attention of former NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who questioned Rodgers' decision to publicly point out the young receiver's mistake.
Speaking on the "Speakeasy" podcast, Houshmandzadeh said he would have preferred Rodgers to take responsibility for the play instead of publicly identifying Wilson's mistake.
"I don't like that. Just say, 'Oh, bad throw. We weren't on the same page.'"
The former Bengals receiver believes quarterbacks, particularly veteran leaders like Rodgers, should protect their teammates publicly while addressing mistakes behind closed doors. "When you are that great of a player, you always take responsibility. You just take the responsibility, because when you take the responsibility, everybody on the offensive side of the ball knows that Roman Wilson made the mistake."
Houshmandzadeh also explained why Rodgers' comments could create an unnecessary narrative around Wilson. "So now if during the regular season, he throws the ball to Roman Wilson and it's intercepted, the first question is going to be asked is, 'Was that a mistake by Roman Wilson?" he said.
Houshmandzadeh believes Rodgers' comments could make people question Wilson whenever something goes wrong.
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He would have preferred Rodgers to simply say they were not on the same page and would fix the mistake.
While Rodgers' criticism received most of the attention, his full comments also included praise for Wilson.
Rodgers explained that Wilson had made the same mistake earlier in training camp and that the latest incident was a learning experience. "Yeah, Roman made a repeat mistake. You know, that's a good learning experience, 'cause I don't think he's going to do that again."
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Rodgers also made it clear that he remains confident in Wilson, calling him a "great kid" who has had a "fantastic camp. I have the utmost confidence in him. He's gonna have to play a big role for us, but mistakes are gonna happen."
That added context suggests Rodgers was not simply trying to throw Wilson under the bus. Instead, he was explaining what went wrong while making it clear that he still expects the young receiver to play an important role.
Rodgers also enters the season looking to improve after ranking 29th among quarterbacks in PFN's metrics last season.
With Houshmandzadeh believing that publicly pointing out the mistake could put extra pressure on Wilson, the receiver's best response now is to move past the incident and show that he can earn Rodgers' trust once the regular season begins.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
