Well, Packers Are A Goddam Mess

So there’s a story from Sports Illustrated that kind of makes me want to puke. I won’t speak for our readers, but we’ve all felt that the Green Bay Packers have become a pretty dysfunctional unit. Not more apparent than now.

There’s the Mike McCarthy’s offense is stale narrative. Entirely possible. There’s the Aaron Rodgers is fucking things up to sabotage McCarthy narrative. Maybe. There’s the Ted Thompson drafted for shit for some time narrative. Likely.

So here’s the thing.

Thompson: how many times have we said you can’t rely on draft-and-develop if you draft for shit?

Many.

McCarthy: how many times have we called him Buffoon, Gravy Head or Gravy Fart?

More times than some of you have liked.

Rodgers: have always called him out when he isn’t playing well, but haven’t really heard anything like this. Tanking to get McCarthy fired?

Didn’t give any credence to the notion at first, but we’ll just give you some of the more damning insinuations from the aforementioned story.

… because Rodgers is so intelligent and such a good improvisational player, the quarterback has the green light to change plays on the field as he see fit. He does, so often that it can be hard for McCarthy to get into a rhythm as the play caller. McCarthy might call the same play three times in a game, without the play actually being run as he called it. And if McCarthy calls a play that Rodgers doesn’t like early in the game, that can sour the mood for the rest of the game. Several sources familiar with the inner workings of the organization say that it devolved into a competition over who can call the better play, and both want the credit when things go right.

Okay. I mean, I know Rodgers called that run play in Los Angeles when Aaron Jones ran for that touchdown.

Just based on pure logic. McCarthy sure as shit wasn’t calling a run play there.

Anyway…

Monday Night Football analyst Booger McFarland here.

McFarland says he sensed something was off (during their production meeting): “Maybe it’s their personalities, but to me, I find it very (unusual) that you get two people who really enjoy working together and enjoy being around each other, but you can’t sense or see that. I didn’t sense that from either Aaron or coach.”

As we expected…

And it isn’t if Rodgers is wrong. Maybe sometimes he is, but it now appears Rodgers doesn’t discuss play calls with McCarthy. He discusses them with his backups at times. Third-stringer Tim Boyle was the one guy who chimed in on this story and here’s what he had to say. And if McCarthy is the coach next year, this guy is getting cut.

Because Rodgers has so much freedom, McCarthy’s frustration often comes from not knowing what check his quarterback went to and why. (DeShone) Kizer and Boyle have typically been in more conversations with Rodgers throughout the week, and sometimes explain his decisions to McCarthy in order to better set up future play calls. Early in the fourth quarter in Detroit this season, the Packers’ offense was running no huddle. Rodgers and Kizer had a few conversations on the sideline before the series about wanting to create matchup issues with Lions cornerback Darius Slay, bringing Adams inside, rather than lining him up outside. The QBs decided on a series of three playcalls focused on Adams, having him run crossers or sit down in the flat to eventually set up an out route that resulted in a red-zone touchdown. McCarthy wasn’t part of those conversations, so the quarterbacks explained that series to him afterward.

Inmates running the asylum.

I mean, that’s exactly what that is.

And look, part of that is on Rodgers. Most of it is on McCarthy.

If you have an Aaron Rodgers, you have to have a coach who can coach an Aaron Rodgers. A GM that can surround an Aaron Rodgers with some talent, which it appears the Packers now have.

But maybe someone who can get an Aaron Rodgers in line. And that comes with respect.

There doesn’t appear to be much, if any, in this relationship between Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy right now.