Aaron Rodgers is admittedly still getting used to the offense. That makes a lot of sense. This is the time of year in which the full and final install of the playbook takes place.
One player who's helping the four-time MVP, perhaps the most, is second-year center Zach Frazier:
"It starts with Zach. Zach is a highly intelligent player," Rodgers said. "It helps because as much as I have a good feel for the offense, I'm not what I would call an expert of the offense yet. I become an expert when you break the huddle and you see the picture in your mind. Every now and then, the picture's a little fuzzy still, so I'm still working some things out. But Zach is so freaking smart. He's making some calls for me, and I told him the other day, 'Don't get used to that. At some point I'm going to be making the calls for you.' But he's got a really good disposition for a center. He's obviously a talented player. His leadership is what I'd like to see most continue to grow because the leadership often grows at the same rate as the performance. Everybody knows what kind of player he is, so he's going to have more opportunities to lead."
Frazier is coming off a very promising rookie season. Most notable, in terms of performance, is just two blown blocks in the run game, one sack allowed and the NFL's best pressure rate among centers in 975 snaps. Like all second-year players, Frazier is expected to take a big leap this season. That's the standard to which Mike Tomlin holds these players.
Based off what he put on tape last season, very few doubt Frazier's playing ability. But this adds another level to Frazier's game. If he can not just schematically become the anchor of a young offensive line, but also as a leader, that could raise the floor of a polarizing unit.
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THE ASYLUM
Rodgers praises Frazier's intelligence, leadership
Aaron Rodgers is admittedly still getting used to the offense. That makes a lot of sense. This is the time of year in which the full and final install of the playbook takes place.
One player who's helping the four-time MVP, perhaps the most, is second-year center Zach Frazier:
"It starts with Zach. Zach is a highly intelligent player," Rodgers said. "It helps because as much as I have a good feel for the offense, I'm not what I would call an expert of the offense yet. I become an expert when you break the huddle and you see the picture in your mind. Every now and then, the picture's a little fuzzy still, so I'm still working some things out. But Zach is so freaking smart. He's making some calls for me, and I told him the other day, 'Don't get used to that. At some point I'm going to be making the calls for you.' But he's got a really good disposition for a center. He's obviously a talented player. His leadership is what I'd like to see most continue to grow because the leadership often grows at the same rate as the performance. Everybody knows what kind of player he is, so he's going to have more opportunities to lead."
Frazier is coming off a very promising rookie season. Most notable, in terms of performance, is just two blown blocks in the run game, one sack allowed and the NFL's best pressure rate among centers in 975 snaps. Like all second-year players, Frazier is expected to take a big leap this season. That's the standard to which Mike Tomlin holds these players.
Based off what he put on tape last season, very few doubt Frazier's playing ability. But this adds another level to Frazier's game. If he can not just schematically become the anchor of a young offensive line, but also as a leader, that could raise the floor of a polarizing unit.
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