Aaron Rodgers is ‘like the Simon Cowell’ of the Steelers with his famed receiver quizzes

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Gibbs, D. (2026, October 17). Aaron Rodgers is ‘like the Simon Cowell’ of the Steelers with his famed receiver quizzes. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/17/sports/aaron-rodgers-goes-simon-cowell-with-steelers-receiver-quizzes/

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New York Post · collected 2026-10-17 · by Donovan Gibbs

Quick Summary

Aaron Rodgers, known for his rigorous preparation methods, recently quizzed Pittsburgh Steelers rookie receiver Germie Bernard on their opponent’s plays before a game. Bernard appreciated the challenge, noting that it ensures players are well-prepared. Rodgers has been conducting these quizzes since he became Green Bay Packers’ starter in 2009, and tight end Robert Tonyan compares his approach to Simon Cowell’s tough questioning style from talent shows. With key receivers out for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, passing Rodgers' quiz is especially important this season; Rodgers himself has thrown for 1,234 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions so far in his likely final NFL campaign.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-17, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Aaron Rodgers, 42-year-old quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and in what he has said will be his last NFL season, continues his tradition of quizzing new receivers about plays and opposing teams' strategies before games. This practice dates back to 2009 when Rodgers was starting for the Green Bay Packers. Recently, rookie Germie Bernard passed one such quiz ahead of his first career start against the Colts. Through five games this season, Rodgers has thrown for 1,234 yards, with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions as the Steelers head into a crucial matchup against the Buccaneers on Sunday. The Steelers' receiving corps is currently short-handed due to injuries and player unavailability.

Written for “Aaron Rodgers Critiques Steelers Receivers Quiz” on 2026-10-17, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Aaron Rodgers Critiques Steelers Receivers Quiz
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
1 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
67/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-17 · how these are computed

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Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 11213 article(s) · 31 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 31 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Donovan Gibbs
35 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Rodgers, in what he has said will be his last NFL season, has thrown for 1,234 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions through five games.
🔮 And everybody inside was in awe and couldn’t believe it.
🔮 After Monday night’s 37-34 overtime loss to the Bills, Rams head coach Sean McVay couldn’t handle the regret.
🔮 Boston will begin the first of four meetings between the two teams on November 10th in Philadelphia.
🔮 Beckham Jr.’s next opportunity to debut for the Vikings will be Week 6 at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Indianapolis Colts.
🔮 Nick Saban — and one of his former star pupils — expressed his frustration at ESPN’s Pat McAfee after the “College GameDay” panelist defied expectations by predicting that No. 2 Georgia would beat sixth-ranked Alabama on the road on Saturday night.
🔮 If that were it, he would’ve threw it to [Romeo] Doubs or somebody.
🔮 The Saints, coming off a tough 35-27 home-opening loss to the Raiders, couldn’t get back on track.
🔮 Gleason, who’s known in the bayou for his blocked punt on Falcons punter Michael Koenen’s in the first 90 seconds of the emotional game back in 2006, expressed what he would do if Peyton were back there.
🔮 It also limited Malik Willis to 77 yards through the air.
Also by Donovan Gibbs
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 35 articles by Donovan Gibbs →

Topics

ESPN Green Bay NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame Steelers

Subjects

Rodgers PERSON · 8× Bernard PERSON · 2× ESPN ORG · 2× Green Bay ORG · 2× NFL ORG · 2× Steelers ORG · 2× Aaron Rodgers PERSON · 1× Colts ORG · 1× Germie Bernard PERSON · 1× Pro Football Hall of Fame ORG · 1×

Narrative

Passing the Rodgers quiz is crucial for a receiving corps missing Roman Wilson and Skowronek — and star DK Metcalf listed as questionable — as the Steelers (3-2) head into Sunday’s matchup against the Buccaneers (1-4).
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-17
🔮 Rodgers, in what he has said will be his last NFL season, has thrown for 1,234 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions through five games.

Claims (17 extracted, 1 hedged)

Throughout a likely Pro Football Hall of Fame career, Aaron Rodgers has been known for his consistent preparation and chemistry with his receivers. asserted
Rodgers → know → receivers
The latest receiver who’s gotten the Rodgers experience is Steelers rookie Germie Bernard. asserted
who → get → experience
Right before his first career start against the Colts, the second-round selection faced an onslaught of questions from the four-time NFL MVP about how both teams operate. asserted
teams → face → MVP
After answering all the veteran quarterback questions, as ESPN highlighted in a feature this week, Bernard got the nod of approval from the 42-year-old Rodgers. asserted
Bernard → answer → Rodgers
“What I’ve learned from Aaron is like, OK, I know that the reason why he’s doing this because he wants us to be prepared all-around,” Bernard said, per ESPN. asserted
Bernard → learn → ESPN
“He wants to make sure that we know what we’re doing when we’re out there playing with him.” asserted
we → want → him
Rodgers’ tradition of quizzing his teammates dates back to 2009, when he became the Packers’ starter. asserted
he → quiz → 2009
Jordan Love, who has taken Rodgers’ role in Green Bay, has continued the testing. asserted
who → take → testing
“It’s pretty eye-opening to see who knows the plan, see who knows who we’re playing and who their personnel is,” Rodgers told reporters earlier this week. asserted
Rodgers → ’ → reporters
“I just think it’s important to keep those guys on their toes and keep those guys studying and making sure they’re watching film and knowing what’s in the plan. asserted
what → think → plan
There’s always going to be those quizzes, and hopefully, they get a little bit better.” asserted
they → go → ?
Rodgers apparently embodies the personality of Simon Cowell, known for his harsh critiques as a judge on “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent,” according to tight end Robert Tonyan, who first got grilled by the star QB when they were both in Green Bay. uncertain
they → embody → Bay
“I’ve been young and up there in front of everyone, and now it’s awesome to be sitting next to him and asking some questions,” Tonyan said. asserted
Tonyan → ’ → questions
“We were joking about it. asserted
We → joke → it
He’s like the Simon Cowell. asserted
He → ’ → Cowell
Passing the Rodgers quiz is crucial for a receiving corps missing Roman Wilson and Skowronek — and star DK Metcalf listed as questionable — as the Steelers (3-2) head into Sunday’s matchup against the Buccaneers (1-4). asserted
Steelers → pass → Buccaneers
Rodgers, in what he has said will be his last NFL season, has thrown for 1,234 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions through five games. asserted
he → say → games
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