Packers QB Aaron Rodgers Continues to “Break Ranks” During Another Crazy Week
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Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers certainly never ceases to amaze.
Two weeks ago, after losing a tough one to Washington, one point of emphasis he talked about was how important it was to keep things in-house and not “break ranks” by saying things outside the locker room that could cause a problem.
So much for that notion.
It was bad enough Rodgers literally broke his own rule seconds later that day when he talked about the fact he believe the team needed to make the offense “simpler,” something that caught head coach Matt LaFleur completely off guard when he was asked about it later. “I have no idea what that means,” he told reporters.
After dropping yet another game last Sunday, Rodgers spent this past week breaking his own rule again, calling out teammates by saying he felt guys who were making mistakes should see their playing time cut.
“It’s definitely not just one play here or there,” Rodgers said via ProFootballTalk.com. “It’s 20 percent of the time. If we have 50 plays and we have 10 missed assignments or mental errors, that’s 20 percent of the time. So that’s way too high. In the past we were looking more like, less than 10 percent, so that gives us a really good chance to be successful. 20 percent, that’s way too high. That’s one play a series where you’re really making it tough on yourself. So we’ve got to fix that. I think guys who are making too many mistakes shouldn’t be playing. Gotta start cutting some reps. And maybe guys who aren’t playing, give them a chance.”
He doubled down on those comments the next day when questioned by reporters.
“People in this society have a hard time hearing truth sometimes,” Rodgers said, clearly missing the point that he himself had made previously. “I’m not saying anything [publicly] that I’m not saying to those guys. So, maybe that’s talking about a conversation that’s behind closed doors in public, but the level of accountability is the standard here. Again, I don’t think it should be a problem to any of those guys to hear criticism. We all hear criticism in our own ways, and we’ve all got to be OK with it and take it in and process it. And if it doesn’t fit, then it doesn’t fit. But if it fits, we’ve got to wear it and improve on those certain things.
“I’m not going to be a robot up here. I don’t understand why people have a problem with things that are truthful. You know, I’m calling things the way I see it. If people don’t think I need to air that stuff out, that’s their opinion. But I’m doing what I think is in the best interests of our guys, and I’ve tried a lot of different things from a leadership standpoint this year. And I was relating my personal feelings on the situation. I didn’t call anybody out by name.”
Apparently, when Rodgers talked about not breaking ranks, he believes he’s the general. And there’s your glimpse inside the dysfunction that continues to see him be his own worst enemy.
(*Portions of the above appeared in our Saturday afternoon news and notes column)
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