‘I think it’s great for all the old guys’

It was a swap that the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach, threw a bit of shade on earlier in the week.

Speaking to the media Monday, Flacco shrugged it off ahead of his second start this year against Pittsburgh with his second team.

“I heard he was talking about it a little bit, the fact that I’m on the Bengals,” Flacco said, per Cincinnati.com’s Dave Clark. “I don’t know. I didn’t see it. I didn’t get to see how upset he was. But I think he’s probably just playing the game a little bit, and doing whatever he has to do.”

With Flacco having played 11 seasons for the Ravens and spent time with the Browns and Bengals, he’s no stranger to Tomlin, who’s in his 19^th year as head coach of the Steelers.

“Look how consistent they’ve been over the last 20 years,” Flacco said. “I mean how long has he been there now? Twenty years or more? They’re always physical. I think they found out who they wanted to be as a team early on and they’ve continued to build their teams based off of that. And that’s why they always have a chance.”

Likewise, Rodgers, a 2005 first-round pick, is an admirer of Flacco, a 2008 first-round choice. Though they’re both a bit long in the tooth as it relates to the gridiron, their long arms still seem to be in their repertoires.

“I’ve just always enjoyed watching him throw the ball,” Rodgers said of Flacco. “He’s got one of the prettiest balls. Tight spiral. Deep ball thrower. He is one of the old school, 2000s, ’90s prototypical quarterbacks.

“When I was coming in the game, it was the big guys who had the big arms. Now you’re seeing some really athletic guys playing the position. I think he would probably agree with me. Sometimes when you watch how the guys play, you feel like they’re playing a different position because of the kind of athleticism and the way the game is called. There’s more read-option called. You’re seeing more of the college game in the NFL. But I’ve always enjoyed watching Joe play. I have a lot of respect for him and his game.”

It’s almost a certainty Rodgers and Flacco won’t be scrambling up a storm on Thursday, but the youngsters can still sling it some. They’ll be aiming to do just that, while continuing to stiff arm Father Time and keep those glory days from passing them by.