We don’t necessarily need to shape-shift into flies on the wall. Mike Tomlin and Aaron Rodgers surely had an excellent meeting earlier this offseason in Pittsburgh, Pa.

There’s a very good chance that both head coach and quarterback view this looming partnership as a chance to stick it to the doubters and reclaim control of their narratives.

Tomlin hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season, albeit with teams that never finish with a losing record.

Rodgers hasn’t been a good quarterback in four years.

How did the Steelers get here? How will this all end? On this week’s Substack Live at Go Long, I chat with Brian Batko of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Always love seeing Brian on our trips to Steelers Country. He offers a sharp perspective on everything Tomlin and Rodgers. Yes, those Steelers of 2019 fought like hell — it was fun following that group for a B/R feature — but those wins with “The Duck” ‘n co. present a bitter counterfactural. We explore.

As a reminder, you can always join our Substack Live videos by downloading the app here and turning notifications on. I’ll also schedule episodes ahead of time so you can add them into your calendar.

Also: Here is my column on the state of affairs in Pittsburgh, icymi.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.golongtd.com/subscribe

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.