Packers QB Aaron Rodgers Defends Their Ugly Wins This Season
Aaron Rodgers, not one to ignore criticism as well as others in his position, fired back at the media for pointing out the mediocrity of several of the Packers’ wins this season.
#Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: "You guys like telling us how we're just kind of an average team that knows how to win. But the key point is the 'win' part, because right now we're two wins from the Super Bowl, and we know for sure the first one's gonna be here."
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) January 2, 2020
Rodgers’ passer rating for the previous three wins have been 72.0, 68.3, and 78.2. He knows he has been under-performing and named timing issues as one key area that needs attention. There was recently discussion in our comments section about receivers’ timing being a contributing factor to Rodgers’ recent inaccuracies and Aaron noted that in that interview.
He was asked about Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s lack of performance lately, but while dismissive of the question at first, Rodgers did note that his lack of performance opened up opportunities for other receivers — he also made sure to mention MVS’ raw talent which is still undeniable at this point.
When asked about the offense’s lack of consistency, Rodgers replied: “I’m tired of talking about that.” He then went to address the next question.
While he is certainly not at the top of his game as of late, as he said, they’re winning the games that matter and the NFL rewards ugly wins the same as decisive wins.
Either way, as I’ve mentioned before, the Packers’ success this season is due to still unreleased details of a deal between freshman head coach Matt LaFleur and the devil.
In the end, a win is indeed a win. What’s even better is a QB with thick skin that knows how to win and keep media criticism in the back of his thought process.
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Aaron Rodgers always seems to do well when he’s focused on that chip on his shoulder. In the past it was the draft day thing, the how tall are you thing, or family BS, or any of the TMZ type crap. If that new chip on his shoulder is the “ugly wins” then maybe he’s going to hit the field with a prove it attitude. I hope so. I hope he goes out there and clicks with the receivers and has a great day. If that great day turns out to be a decisive win that would be fantastic. Then he can look right back at the writers and critics and ask, “How ugly is that?” That’s what the optimistic Packer fan in me wants to see.
He is right, a W is just that a W.
Per Pro Football Focus:What holds them back: The current Rodgers
This season, Rodgers has been below-average in yards per attempt, despite playing behind sensational pass protection, while making negatively graded throws at an above-average rate. Rodgers used to be fearless — over the past two seasons, he leads all quarterbacks with 98 throwaways. The Packers managed to win 13 games despite averaging 6.1 yards per pass play (16th in the NFL), ahead of offensive behemoths Philadelphia, Buffalo and New England among the playoff teams. This version of Aaron Rodgers is not winning a Super Bowl.
Since it’s a PFF article, just curious, does he talk about the performance grades of our receivers and bargain priced tight end?
No, they covered the strength of each playoff team, and what could hold them back. And the x factor. Basically, if Rodgers plays like Rodgers of old, they could go on a super bowl run.
Of course the receivers grades would probably be better if Rodgers throws them catchable balls or throw to them period…..
I can buy that.
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The receivers grades would also be better……if we had better receivers.
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The QB rating would also be better if the receivers caught the catchable balls, it’s a two way street. Maybe in your world we just excuse dropped balls going right through the receivers hands in an effort to focus more on the QB’s play.
Sure, they have dropped some balls. But not at a rate significantly higher than the NFL average, at 0.3% higher. 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel is toward the top of the league in drops, and he is still getting fed the ball.
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I am not particularly interested in continuing this argument with you. I acknowledge the receiving talent is below average, and Rodgers isn’t going to make a perfect throw or read on every play. No quarterback does, or ever has, or will. However he is doing more than he has ever done so, and that is honestly the difference in scoring 17 points and possibly 24-27. I don’t think it is necessarily just his mechanics. As you noted he has always made throws without a foot on the ground, he is not a conventional thrower. He is 36. He very well is declining, and a broken collarbone in his throwing side may have some to do with it along with age. It was never a guarantee that he played till 40 at a high level. Rivers looks to be on his way out at 38. Marino was officially done around 39, but he had been declining the couple years before that. We saw it with Brady this year, but I think his age is the exception to the rule. You throw out his stats this year and they look good, but most of his stats are below the league median. Passer rating, completion %, yards per attempt. Virtually the only passing stat he remains elite in is INT%