Frustrated Green Bay Packer fan takes Mike McCarthy to task

Mike McCarthy has been talking more like a politician than a head coach.

Raymond T. Rivard photograph

I am very frustrated with the Green Bay Packers organization and Mike McCarthy, not because Aaron Rodgers is not playing this weekend, but because of the way they have handled this process. I am not saying this is how everyone should feel or that I am right in feeling this way, but I wanted to express my anger here in case there are others like me out there.

In yesterday’s press conference MM was answering questions and got nasty with a reporter when he tried to get clarification if the reason AR is not playing this week was strictly medical clearance. It really is not a bad question and all he had to say was, ‘yes, strictly medical.’

Instead Coach McCarthy comes out with, “Don’t make me stand here and play word battles with you. I have answered your question.”

With Mike McCarthy, the past month has been difficult, but it’s been plenty frustrating for Packers fans, too.

Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Last week MM told us our franchise QB did not pass his bone scan test and that is the reason he was not cleared to play. This week, Rodgers was still questionable heading into Friday and didn’t undergo a bone scan test on Friday.

Common sense tells us that if this important test stopped him from playing the previous week and the Packers did not even bother having one scheduled for Friday, then how were they going to clear him this week?

Let me take you back to the Tuesday, Nov. 5, press conference the day after AR was hurt against the Bears on Monday Night Football.

In that press conference, McCarthy said, “Let’s not kid ourselves, if he [Rodgers] walked into the office on Saturday [day before Eagles game] and demanded the football what you would you do?”

Well here we are five weeks later and AR just walked into your office and said he wants the ball and you said no.

As we look back on it, the coach did not say he would play him, so I guess we do need to play word battles with him.

He also said in that press conference that they were treating Rodgers’ injury as a week-to-week issue. Looking back upon what has transpired does anyone really believe that the medical staff would clear AR in the first four weeks?

Instead, we have gotten this dog and pony show from the coach and now he wants to get snippy with reporters for trying to pin him down?

I get why they were doing it – in order to try to throw off opponents, but as a die-hard fan I believed every word McCarthy has said.

Now I feel stupid and foolish!

So when I now listen to a press conference I have to step back and treat it like a politician/lawyer is speaking and figure out what they are saying instead of believing what they are saying. I wonder if at any time they [MM and the Packers organization] wish they would have said that he would be out a minimum of four weeks instead of immediately going to the week-by-week mantra.

I can see how this might have worn on MM, but he is the one who chose to handle it this way and knew the truth.

While I still like the job he does on the field, I have lost a certain amount of respect for the coach off the field.