'I'm calling things the way I see it'
Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are in unfamiliar territory sitting at 3-4 after three straight losses, so it’s easy to see why they’ve received criticism from their fans and media alike.
And even their quarterback.
Rodgers earlier this week made his usual appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” and said that players who are “making too many mistakes shouldn’t be playing.”
A team facing as many struggles as the Packers this season probably doesn’t want to hear its quarterback — who has made his own mistakes through seven games — publicly throwing them under the bus. While Rodgers didn’t name anyone specific, it’s still a bold statement to make considering the QB is averaging the fewest points of his career.
Rodgers was asked to clarify his comments Wednesday and doubled down on what he said Tuesday.
“I don’t understand why people have a problem with things that are truthful,” Rodgers told reporters, per ESPN. “I’m calling things the way I see it. 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 interest of our guys, and I’ve tried a lot of different things from a leadership standpoint this year, and I was just relating my personal feelings on the situation. I didn’t call anybody out by name. I think we all need to be on the details, and that includes me.”
If the Packers were 5-2 or even 4-3, his comments probably would be taken differently. But when Rodgers is calling for people to not play because of mistakes made, maybe he should take a look in the mirror and take an ounce of accountability. If he’s tried “a lot of different things from a leadership standpoint” already, his messaging clearly isn’t getting through to his teammates.
As Taylor Swift once said: “It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem, it’s me.”
It’s impressive that Rodgers never has dealt with a three-game losing streak in his career until now, but he and the rest of the Packers have a tough task ahead of them if they want to halt it when they play the Buffalo Bills on “Sunday Night Football.”