Post by paytonisgod on Apr 5, 2019 17:50:55 GMT -6
Like all sport's reporting it probably over states things but even still this looks really bad and might help explain some of Green Bay's recent dysfunction.
bleacherreport.com/articles/2828649-what-happened-in-green-bay
Some bits:
The worst-kept secret at 1265 Lombardi Avenue was that Rodgers seemed to loathe his coach from the moment McCarthy was hired.
Nobody holds a grudge in any sport like Rodgers. When it comes to Rodgers, grudges do not merrily float away. They stick. They grow. They refuel.
No, Rodgers would not forget that McCarthy had helped perpetuate his four-and-a-half-hour wait in the NFL draft green room the year prior. His nationally televised embarrassment. McCarthy, then the 49ers offensive coordinator, chose Alex Smith No. 1 overall. Not Rodgers.
No, Rodgers would not take it as a funny accident.
"Aaron's always had a chip on his shoulder with Mike," says Ryan Grant, the Packers' starting running back from 2007 to 2012. "The guy who ended up becoming your coach passed on you when he had a chance. Aaron was upset that Mike passed on him—that Mike actually verbally said that Alex Smith was a better quarterback."
Another longtime teammate agrees: "That was a large cancer in the locker room. It wasn't a secret."
Through all of the winning seasons, it might have been easy for casual observers to overlook this cancer. To mistake success for bliss and harmony and assume life was good between the two.
But even in the best of times—when confetti should've still been stuck to their clothing—one person who was then close to Rodgers remembers he would regularly call to vent that McCarthy didn't have a clue what he was doing. He'd tell him that McCarthy frequently called the wrong play. That he used the wrong personnel. That they were running plays that worked one out of 50 times in practice. That McCarthy was a buffoon he was constantly bailing out.
Nobody holds a grudge in any sport like Rodgers. When it comes to Rodgers, grudges do not merrily float away. They stick. They grow. They refuel.
No, Rodgers would not forget that McCarthy had helped perpetuate his four-and-a-half-hour wait in the NFL draft green room the year prior. His nationally televised embarrassment. McCarthy, then the 49ers offensive coordinator, chose Alex Smith No. 1 overall. Not Rodgers.
No, Rodgers would not take it as a funny accident.
"Aaron's always had a chip on his shoulder with Mike," says Ryan Grant, the Packers' starting running back from 2007 to 2012. "The guy who ended up becoming your coach passed on you when he had a chance. Aaron was upset that Mike passed on him—that Mike actually verbally said that Alex Smith was a better quarterback."
Another longtime teammate agrees: "That was a large cancer in the locker room. It wasn't a secret."
Through all of the winning seasons, it might have been easy for casual observers to overlook this cancer. To mistake success for bliss and harmony and assume life was good between the two.
But even in the best of times—when confetti should've still been stuck to their clothing—one person who was then close to Rodgers remembers he would regularly call to vent that McCarthy didn't have a clue what he was doing. He'd tell him that McCarthy frequently called the wrong play. That he used the wrong personnel. That they were running plays that worked one out of 50 times in practice. That McCarthy was a buffoon he was constantly bailing out.
He's not the only one, either.
Maybe Rodgers' ability to sling a football on a rope from any angle every Sunday masked McCarthy's flaws. But a faction of people who have spent time around Rodgers and the Packers believe you must look beyond the statistics and highlights and understand Rodgers is also responsible for the Packers' plummet to mediocrity.
Then they list the reasons why.
He is self-entitled.
The moment Rodgers inked his new contract, one that could earn him up to $180 million, Finley knew a storm was brewing. Because Finley, Rodgers' No. 1 tight end for four-and-a-half years, remembers the entitlement his QB had even as a first-year starter "when he was broke as ****."
"You gave a man $200 million," Finley says. "He's the GM. He's the organization. He's the quarterback. And he's the head coach. He has a sense of entitlement already, and then you give him $200 million? You make him one of the highest-paid in history. It comes with the territory, man. I think Rodgers, man to man, needs to take a little more blame."
Maybe Rodgers' ability to sling a football on a rope from any angle every Sunday masked McCarthy's flaws. But a faction of people who have spent time around Rodgers and the Packers believe you must look beyond the statistics and highlights and understand Rodgers is also responsible for the Packers' plummet to mediocrity.
Then they list the reasons why.
He is self-entitled.
The moment Rodgers inked his new contract, one that could earn him up to $180 million, Finley knew a storm was brewing. Because Finley, Rodgers' No. 1 tight end for four-and-a-half years, remembers the entitlement his QB had even as a first-year starter "when he was broke as ****."
"You gave a man $200 million," Finley says. "He's the GM. He's the organization. He's the quarterback. And he's the head coach. He has a sense of entitlement already, and then you give him $200 million? You make him one of the highest-paid in history. It comes with the territory, man. I think Rodgers, man to man, needs to take a little more blame."
He'll throw you in the doghouse.
One former Packers scout says Rodgers can be brutally tough on young players. Sometimes, it's necessary. Other times? Not so much.
The scout points to Jeff Janis, a 2014 seventh-round flier with rare size (6'3", 220 pounds) and speed (4.42 in the 40) who quickly became a fan favorite—and Rodgers' favorite whipping boy. It was enough to alarm the scout, even though he also wasn't high on Janis as a player.
"Janis got into the doghouse really quick, and he just never let him out," he says. "He didn't even give the kid a chance. And the tough part is Janis is actually a good person. And they used to dog him. Other people did what Aaron did. They used to dog Janis."
What does this doghouse look like? Easy. Rodgers can do no wrong. "He doesn't make a mistake. It's always the receiver's fault."
One former Packers scout says Rodgers can be brutally tough on young players. Sometimes, it's necessary. Other times? Not so much.
The scout points to Jeff Janis, a 2014 seventh-round flier with rare size (6'3", 220 pounds) and speed (4.42 in the 40) who quickly became a fan favorite—and Rodgers' favorite whipping boy. It was enough to alarm the scout, even though he also wasn't high on Janis as a player.
"Janis got into the doghouse really quick, and he just never let him out," he says. "He didn't even give the kid a chance. And the tough part is Janis is actually a good person. And they used to dog him. Other people did what Aaron did. They used to dog Janis."
What does this doghouse look like? Easy. Rodgers can do no wrong. "He doesn't make a mistake. It's always the receiver's fault."
As one player put it, Thompson assumed the Packers system was automatic and he could just plug cheap rookies in.
In the process, the Packers lost the leaders that Rodgers and McCarthy never were, never would be, and they never found replacements.
Gone were gnarly, take-no-prisoners guards Josh Sitton (a Packer from 2008 to 2015) and T.J. Lang (2009-2016). Both were never afraid to speak their minds. Gone was fullback John Kuhn (2007-2015), who several players cite as a major vocal leader. Gone were all those receivers. Gone were defensive tackle Ryan Pickett (2006-2013) and defensive back Charles Woodson (2006-2012). Gone was defensive tackle B.J. Raji (2009-2015), who one player claims held everyone accountable on defense. Thompson lowballed Raji, choosing instead to pay big money to fire-breathing defensive tackle Mike Daniels. While Daniels has been hell-bent on trashing Green Bay's "soft" label, one teammate says guys are turned off by his "hypocritical leadership."
In the process, the Packers lost the leaders that Rodgers and McCarthy never were, never would be, and they never found replacements.
Gone were gnarly, take-no-prisoners guards Josh Sitton (a Packer from 2008 to 2015) and T.J. Lang (2009-2016). Both were never afraid to speak their minds. Gone was fullback John Kuhn (2007-2015), who several players cite as a major vocal leader. Gone were all those receivers. Gone were defensive tackle Ryan Pickett (2006-2013) and defensive back Charles Woodson (2006-2012). Gone was defensive tackle B.J. Raji (2009-2015), who one player claims held everyone accountable on defense. Thompson lowballed Raji, choosing instead to pay big money to fire-breathing defensive tackle Mike Daniels. While Daniels has been hell-bent on trashing Green Bay's "soft" label, one teammate says guys are turned off by his "hypocritical leadership."
