DON'T WAIT ON RODGERS

Here's an excerpt from my latest TribLive.com column:

Hiring Mike McCarthy to coach the Steelers means running it back, but without Mike Tomlin.

Beg Aaron Rodgers to return. No deadline. He can take all summer to decide. No hurry, Aaron. See if a better team is interested. (Rodgers definitely will.) Talk it over with your wife.

It is — and will be — boring beyond comprehension. The Steelers have been deadly dull for years.

To read more, click HERE.

The Steelers shouldn't wait indefinitely for Rodgers.

A new coach and entirely new staff means lots of re-organization.

Under Tomlin, things were established. This past season saw Arthur Smith in his second year as offensive coordinator. His playbook was in place.

But now, from top to bottom, the Steelers will be learning things together.

Rodgers can't show up late and play catch-up. Not in a situation where everybody will be scrambling. Not when Rodgers, inevitably, will want to tweak at the least and hijack (again) at the most.

Rodgers should be given a deadline to re-up: Say, a week before NFL free agency hits on March 11.

If he won't, then sayonara. Get the quarterback room organized without him.

The Steelers would be well rid of Rodgers.

He didn't play that great, and got no further than Russell Wilson did the season before.

Waiting for Rodgers last off-season came off as begging. As unseemly. As not being the Steelers.

Set a deadline. Be the Steelers.