Aaron Rodgers: He’s mad and let’s hope he’s mad as hell
Dec 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) reacts after the Packers were called for a penalty that nullified a touchdown pass against the Oakland Raiders in the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Packers defeated the Raiders 30-20. Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Aaron Rodgers was short and curt with the media Sunday evening following the Packers’ 30-20 win over the Oakland Raiders.
Winning in the NFL is not always an easy thing, and when a team wins on the road in as hostile a venue as the “Black Hole” in Oakland, that’s an accomplishment – no matter how bad or good that Raiders team is.
But for Rodgers, winning isn’t everything – and that’s a good thing.
When asked about how he felt the offense played in Sunday’s game he gave a brief explanation based off his short answer of “no.”
He went briefly into the offense’s ineffective and inefficient actions and reactions on Sunday. One would have thought the Packers lost the game, judging from the demeanor of the Packers quarterback.
But that seems to be the nature of this Packers season.
The quarterback is mad, the coaching staff is in flux and Packers Nation is acting like the team is 4-10 and not 10-4.
Dec 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy reacts during an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum. The Packers defeated the Raiders 30-20. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
And this team has already qualified for the playoffs.
While it’s good to continually be on edge in the effort to show improvement, we’re not so sure it’s a good thing for Packers Nation to be mad at this team.
Look at all they’ve been through over the past three months.
The team starts the season on fire and goes 6-0 before the break; then they come out of the bye week and get stomped on by an average Denver team. The team then loses three games in the final seconds, before pulling out the Miracle in Motor City and then dispatching the Dallas Cowboys at home and the Raiders on the road.
Part of the problem here is that Packers fans have set the bar so high, that when the team’s players show they are human and play like it, Packers fans can’t take it.
Doesn’t anyone remember the 1970s and 1980s?
Since Brett Favre, Mike Holmgren, Reggie White and Ron Wolf came to town the bar has inched higher and higher with every given season. We all expect that the Packers will make a run at the Super Bowl every year.
So does Aaron Rodgers.
We all look for explosive plays every time Rodgers has the ball in his hands because that’s what we’ve come to expect. Rodgers feels the same way.
But it’s simply not happening.
Jordy Nelson. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
This team misses Jordy Nelson more than anyone is admitting. His season-ending injury shook this Packers offense to its foundation and the team is still trying to find a way to compensate. Nelson figured so heavily into the Packers plans this year that trying to come up with an alternative has been a struggle.
They brought in James Jones, who has helped this team significantly.
But James Jones is no Jordy Nelson …
They tried to lean on the running game … and have found some success in doing so, but not enough consistency.
They have cobbled together a receiving corps that has a huge upside, but not a lot of experience.
And Rodgers has been the one holding the bag and carrying this team … once again.
I guess I would be mad, too, if I were him.
All of the expectations; all of the hype; all of the talk of a Super Bowl has been tempered this season with the reality of life in the NFL.
We still expect this team to turn the corner, but it’s been a struggle.
As fans, it hasn’t been much fun watching … in fact, watching this team is a little like forcing yourself to watch porn … you find yourself very uncomfortable, yet can’t take your eyes off of it.
And maybe that’s the way it should be.
The Packers won’t win every game by 30 points and if there’s been a season that has humbled not only the organization, but its fans … this is it.
We continue to look for that turnaround …
Maybe it will be an angry Aaron Rodgers that helps it come to be.
Stay tuned …