It’s no secret right now that Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is just not playing up to his full potential. While one obvious reason is that he just does not have the top-talent wide receivers at his disposal as he did in the past with the likes of Jordy Nelson or Donald Driver, etc. Another is the obvious fact that Rodgers just is not in his prime anymore. But, with someone as talented as Rodgers, even being just below their prime is still a great quarterback with plenty of potential for a championship.
First, let’s get something out of the way: Total Packers is not just another “Go Pack Go” kind of website. We love our team, but we are not shy about pointing out flaws and sharing our critique. That’s what a real fan does. Any idiot can yell “go team!” no matter how the season is going or how the team is performing. There are plenty of other Packers websites for that.
One common complaint among more discerning Packer fans is that they feel Rodgers is intentionally conservative with his targeting to keep his stats looking good and his name at the top of the NFL career QB passer rating list — where he currently sits comfortably at #1 with a career rating of 103.1. I’d say that is a bit of a stretch. Rodgers has his diva tendencies, but I do not think that even he would be the type to be preoccupied with his career stats when he is surrounded by plenty of talent to go to the Super Bowl — albeit young talent.
Another is that new head coach Matt LaFleur just is not leading him properly or helping reign him in to his new offense. Most people have no idea what goes on between them when the cameras and microphones are off, but as far as I can see, their chemistry seems to be perfectly fine. If LaFleur doesn’t have Rodgers in a more consistent form at the end of next season, them maybe I would start pointing fingers at the new coach and his system.
I do not think Rodgers is at all worried about his stats or his relationship with LaFleur — he seems much more worried about his physical health to the point of inhibiting his performance potential.
In my view, Rodgers’ hangup is a mental one. At his age, and having experienced the torture that is a broken collar bone(more than once), he is so afraid of a sack that it inhibits his ability to think as clearly in the pocket as he has in the past. Of course, ALL quarterbacks, even with newer rules protecting them, are worried about that surprise sack that knocks the air out of your lungs. It seems that this possibility, based on his past experience, is much more imminent in his mind.
As far as Rodgers and his conservatism in the pocket lately, the other side of the coin would be gunslinging, pray-it-gets-in-there Brett Favre. It seems that somewhere between the two would be ideal for team to actually make it to the Super Bowl and not embarrass themselves once they get there. When you deal with the greats like Favre and Rodgers, you get their personalities and hangups with the package.
It certainly is no one single thing that is sandbagging a passing game that absolutely should be performing better than it is. The Packers offensive line is statistically respectable in relation to the rest of the league, but their performance seems to drop off sharply later in the game. That’s all it takes to rattle your aging QB wondering if he is one hard hit away from ending his storied career. Rodgers is obviously a very intelligent guy. But, sometimes, that can work against someone as anxiety and stress can lead to constant overthinking that inhibits their performance both mentally and physically.
After Sunday’s game, Rodgers was quoted as saying:
We’ve got to clean some of that stuff up, but I wouldn’t mind winning ugly all the way to the Super Bowl.
In hindsight, most of us probably would not mind it either if the end result was a trip to the Super Bowl. However, realistically, the chances of that happening right now are extremely slim and unlikely. While they certainly could use some help in the offseason with bolstering their defensive line and their receiving corps(and a decent backup QB on that note), the fact remains that there is a Super Bowl level team there right now. It’s just a matter of if they can tap into it or not.