Remember when the Green Bay Packers’ season ended and quarterback Aaron Rodgers said the team needed to “reload?”
It’s debatable whether they did that or not with all the free agents they lost. And Rodgers is now changing his verbiage. On Thursday, when asked about the team’s roster, Rodgers didn’t say the Packers reloaded, he said they rebuilt.
And that’s really a step down from reloading, isn’t it? It’s what the Cleveland Browns perennially do — they rebuild.
“I think we’ve rebuilt a little bit, but we’ve got to see what we’ve got here.”
Rodgers obviously likes some of the players the Packers have signed this offseason. He specifically singled out tight ends Lance Kendricks and Martellus Bennett, along with guard Jahri Evans. However, he also bemoaned the loss of leadership.
“The tough part is, as you get older in this league and you see guys leave — and you have to ask why, a lot. It’s tough to lose veteran leadership — Julius, T.J., Micah, John Kuhn last year. We’ve replaced them — but the leadership part is tough, and I think that’s an undervalued part of our league that we need guys to step up.
“I’m proud of (Pro Bowl safety) Ha Ha (Clinton-Dix), because I think he’s really stepped up and can be one of those guys. … But the exciting thing is, you don’t know. You’re not sure what’s going to happen.”
That sounds like a whole lot of uncertainty from Rodgers. It’s also something we have harped on since the day the Packers axed Charles Woodson — they don’t value veteran leadership enough. Sometimes that comes through on the field.
The Packers constantly expect new leaders to assert themselves. Sometimes those guys are up to the task (Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, seemingly) and sometimes they’re not (Clay Matthews).
Righteous points made. I don’t think the Packers as a whole, don’t value veteran leadership. I think big Ted doesn’t put it high on his list. With veteran leadership, comes paying veteran leadership money. therein lies the problem for Ted. If Ted expects young players to come in and fill leadership roles, those guys are few and far between. that young player 1) better be talented enough to pull it off. 2) Leadership is something within a person, you know you have it when your young and the other kids looked up to you and just followed. You can’t be a follower in High School and College, then get to the NFL and all of a sudden become a leader of alpha males. It doesn’t work like that. You have to draft leaders.
I can’t believe for a moment that any coach on that team, or any coordinator, wouldn’t love to have all the veteran leadership they could get. I would think that’s especially true with Fat Mike, Joe Whitt Jr, Dom Capers, Mike Trgovac, Tim McGarigle, and now James Campen. It’s just Ted’s way.
As far as Monty’s view on Rodgers comment. It is tough to read it, but i’ll agree with Monty that Rodgers seems to talk with uncertainty. Maybe reading between the lines on Rodgers, it’s possible he’s referring to the 0 line losing leadership there with the departure of Sitton and Lang. That’s my best guess, which is really just speculation, which i hate doing. But i’m sticking with that until i see or hear differently.
I agree with the statement that TT doesn’t value veteran leadership. I also agree that you can’t expect some rookie with zero NFL experience to jump right in, know everything, and have a massive influence on a room of veterans as if he were Charles Woodson. I do however disagree with the sentiment that you’re either born a leader or your not. It is something that you can learn. Just because you weren’t an alpha male in high school doesn’t mean you can’t step up and be a leader when you’re older with more experience. Of course everyone is different, and I’m not going to argue every single nuance about whether someone can be a leader or not. Bottom line is the Packers need some quality leadership, however they find it.
There’s a reason it is said leaders are born, not made. The ones stepping up after gaining experience are simply late bloomers.
Most of the ‘leaders’ of your youth are the ones who are broken drunks by the time they reach middle age. Being a popular prick as a kid or a high schooler isn’t a reflection of one’s ‘born’ leadership status. Usually it’s a mirror of how fucked up all the people who got sucked in by their bullshit and followed them were.
Good points Savage57 . . .
Packer fans have appreciate that Rodgers is probably the greatest quarterback that not only ever donned a Packer uniform, but will EVER don a Packer uniform.
We’ll never see another one like him.
Amen brother.