Tom Brady once said: “Every quarterback can throw a ball; every running back can run; every receiver is fast, but that mental toughness that you talk about translates into competitiveness.” When skillsets are so evenly matched, the game is won between the ears.
Aaron Rodgers might concur with the legendary Brady after the Green Bay Packers continued their slump in form which has virtually ended any hope of the playoffs. After another defeat against the Commanders back in October, Rodgers admitted on the Pat McAfee Show that there were far too many “mental errors and mistakes”. It was the language of a team that is not clicking into place. Solving the jigsaw looks as puzzling as the slump.
Even a change of scenery hasn’t helped. Despite being the most viewed international series game ever on the NFL Network, the Packers went down to the Giants in London to kickstart the slump.
Mental resilience and making the right calls are what separate the good from the great. Former English rugby union coach and World Cup winner Sir Clive Woodward had an acronym T-CUP: Thinking Correctly Under Pressure. The Packers have not been abiding by that directive on virtually every key metric.
The NFL, like rugby, is won in the physical battle where heart and soul educate and inform what happens next. During yet another defeat, New York Jets coach Robert Saleh essentially questioned the Green Bay Packers’ courage when he shared a half-time speech: “Just keep giving them [the Packers] body blow after body blow and keep hitting them in the mouth. We felt like if we can just keep taking them down to deeper water they’ll find out they can’t swim.”
There has been much talk about this being Rodgers’ last season and his revelation that he has played from week 5 onwards with a broken thumb just adds to the feeling that this could be a swansong for his Green and Gold ambitions.
There has been a distinct lack of fluidity about the approach and confusion about whether to run it or throw it. Rodgers clearly does not have confidence in his offensive line and receivers. He has gone so far as to put it on the record that those who are not making plays should be benched. Does this curt analysis include himself?
There have been too many inaccurate throws, and too many dropped passes and the 13-time NFL champions own one of the worst stats in the concession of penalties. As Woodward would tell you, giving away too many soft and unnecessary transgressions is a surefire way of showing an inherent in-game mental weakness.
Brady is still playing top-level football in his mid-forties. Rodgers is a mere stripling at the age of 38. However, there are worrying signs that internal strife and low team morale are breaking the bond that is so crucial in successful professional sports. Without unity, Green Bay are just a collection of talented individuals. That never won anything.
Careful Andrew, quoting Tom Brady will get you crucified around here. I’m more forgiving when rookie WR’s drop balls than I am when Aaron Rodgers consistently misses wide open receivers for two reasons. First, they’re not making 50 million dollars, and secondly, they don’t throw their teammates and coaches under the bus. As far as play calling, there’s always been this internal struggle between Matt LaFleur’s vision and Aaron Rodgers vision on how the offense should be run and what plays to call. Rodgers a west coast disciple, and Matt LaFleur with more of a run to set up the pass oriented offense. It’s no accent that our last two wins came from a run heavy game plan favoring Matt LaFleur’s preferred offense. This conflict will always be present as long as Rodgers is QB. Management seems to understand this and will tolerate it. Injuries have played a major factor in the Packers disappointing season. Injuries kept the OL from solidifying earlier than expected. Injuries to Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs has delayed their development. While the season ending injuries to Rashan Gary and Eric Stokes have exposed the defense. Perhaps more importantly, Aaron Rodgers seems to be coming to terms with the fact he’s no longer the player he once was. The gap between himself and Jordan Love is shrinking. Recently he’s been more humble and contrite. Less finger pointing, less eye rolling. Less the diva which makes him more sympathetic to fans. As bad as this season has gone, the future looks bright. The comps for Watson and Doubs are Randy Moss and Greg Jennings. The running game remains solid. The recent investment in draft capital on the OL is paying dividends. And regardless of what Aaron Rodgers decides about his future, the QB position seems to covered by Jordan Love. With the talent around him he doesn’t have to be great. He just has to be able to run the offense. We need another pass rusher and perhaps a different DC but the core players are solid and the future remains bright. Despite what all the Erin Rodgers fanboys will tell you. It’s not all gloom and doom. They likewise have to come to terms with Rodgers mortality. And some will never accept it. See Jordy Nelson.
Just read his comment, and i made it to here….lol
” It’s no accent that our last two wins came from a run heavy game plan”
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I’m smiling, but i’m shaking my head and i’m just….. speechless.
PF4L 1 day ago
Tom M
“Who would that WR have been Kevin if Jordan Love was not drafted? The three top remaining WR’s left on the board, blah,blah,blah,blah…………”
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Tommi, listen close, stop eating your lucky charms and just listen……i’d expect that kind of question by a 2nd grader whose brain has yet to be developed.
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The Packers traded up for Love right?
Was there some new rule in the 2020 NFL draft that said the Packers couldn’t have traded up for a receiver?
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Let’s let that sink in for a moment.
Moment of silence please.
God (allegedly) gave you a brain, at least attempt to try and use it.
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Give it a shot Tommi, man up….respond to something for once in your life and prove you possess a hint of intelligence.
You’re still alive?
How does this work, the 10-2 vikings are dogs to the 5-7 Detroit Lions?
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This might be because the vikings have a +10 point differential. So it shouldn’t be all that shocking that the Lions are giving points.
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How bad is a +10 pt. differential for a 10-2 team?
Consider this….
The 9-3 Cowboys have a pt. differential of +127
Follow up…..
The sports books had it right on that game as the Lions prevailed by 11.
The vikings are 10-3 and the Cowboys are now 10-3, so the same?
Hardly….
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Point differential….
Cowboys + 131
vikings -1 (that’s minus one)
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How good was the Packer offense in 2011?
Packers point differential was +201
Receiving talent….matters
“How does this work, the 10-2 vikings are dogs to the 5-7 Detroit Lions?”
Um.. it’s called football.
Coaches, players, and opponents were impressed with Jordan Love’s performance and development. This in addition to what I witnessed myself. I know you’re the QB whisperer Kevin by calling such distinguished careers as Kurt Benkert and Tim Boyle. But I’d let this play out before you start calling Jordan Love a bust. No one wants you to look like a dick again. I understand little Erin hasn’t given you any stats this year to fuss and fawn over and therefore you’re at a loss of things to say. But you can still love Aaron Rodgers with all your heart and be hopeful about Jordan Love. You’re no cheating on little Erin. I promise….
Tom M 2 hours ago
You’re no cheating on little Erin. I promise….
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Kids….STAY IN SCHOOL
Kids.. don’t smoke crack like PF4L.
For the rest of you 2nd graders, ask your Mommy to help you out with your username.
Holyshit
Tommi……try this one, just for kicks.
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Ever wonder…..why Murphy, Gute,and Ball, gave Rodgers a 3 year 150 million dollar deal 9 months ago…for (in your words) a fading franchise QB?
Ever wonder why that happened?
Please spare us that..Rodgers made them do it somehow. 🙄
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Teach us ladies, show us how smart you are 🙄
Cool, you’re a misogynist and a dumbass. This explains much.
Tom M 36 mins ago
You want to talk Preston Smith’s contract?
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No, i want to talk about how you said he’d be a Pro Bowler this season with double digit sacks, because….you’re soooo smart, and because, you know everything.
Educate us Ladies.
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Tom M 2 hours ago
“I was ready to trade Rodgers two years ago. I’ve been saying, (you’ll “never” win a SB with this clown”)
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WELL THEN…WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST TRADE HIM THEN? 🙄😲🤪😏😎🤔
You can do anything you want, in your world…..right Princess
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PSSTTT: Super Bowl 45
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Tommi…..
Do ya ever just get so sick and tired….of being so sick and tired?
In other developments….
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Looks as though Tom Brady got schooled by an inferior QB today in Brock Purdy.
Here i thought that only happened to Rodgers, go figure.
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Lets take a look at this Brock Purdy character and compare him with our own franchise QB Jordan Love.
I don’t have to tell anyone here about Love, but just as a reminder, he actually completed 6 passes. That was just in one game!!
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So Love (first round pick) looks like this for his career…..
Games started – 1
Games won – 0
Completion% – 60.0
Yards – 597
Attempts – 80
TD’s – 3
Picks – 3
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Conversely…
Brock Purdy’s (7th round) career looks like this….
Games started – 1
Games won – 1
Completion% – 67.1
Yards – 461
Attempts – 67
TD’s – 4
Picks – 2
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It should be noted, that Purdy was thee last pick of the 2022 draft, dead ass last.
“Mr. irrelevant” they call him. No offense Jordan.
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After watching Purdy putting on a clinic against Brady, i couldn’t help wonder….
Would the 49er’s trade us Brock Purdy even up for Love?
I’m your father.
So you let your wife sleep around like the slut she is.
Think
I don’t think it’s a lack of toughness that explains the Packers struggles, although I do think that can come into play. It looks like players give up on plays at certain times, but that is true across the NFL. The packers lack of success is due to their unprepared and inexperienced offense and their lackluster defense. Christian Watson’s stats for September and October consists of 8 catches for 64 yards with 0 touchdowns and 19 rushing yards with 1 touchdown. His November numbers are 14 catches and 6 touchdowns. But Watson was in and out of games from the beginning of the year until his big game against the Cowboys. Doubs was also in and out for much of this year too. Watson was dealing with an injury from training camp. What I’m trying to say is that considering these facts, it isn’t a surprise that the packers have struggled this year. Their fallback options weren’t very good, unless everyone here thinks that Lazard, Watkins, and Cobb were the answers. I don’t see how this season could’ve worked unless Doubs and Watson were week 1 ready and they just weren’t, not through any fault of their own. Now that Watson is showing his potential the Packers offense is doing better and the Packers have won some games again. I’m not sure how the team should overcome those types of obstacles by just being more tough. At some point, the players on the field have to matter in terms of winning or losing.
In other news…..
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It seems that Brittney Griner got released with a prisoner swap.
All the U. S. had to give up was a convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, otherwise known as The Merchant of Death. In exchange, Russia gave up a prisoner who had hash oil in her bag through Russia Customs (smart).
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But lets rejoice for the release of Mr. Griner, now she can go back to doing what she does so well.
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Griner plans to extend her protest throughout the season.
“I’m going to protest regardless,” she said. “I’m not going to be out there for the national anthem. If the league continues to want to play it, that’s fine. It will be all season long, I’ll not be out there. I feel like more are going to probably do the same thing. I can only speak for myself.”
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Glad to have you back Brett….Enjoy the freedoms that this Country and Service men and women have fought and died for.
To keep this relevant to a football forum I’ll say this.
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Griner for Bout was a much worse trade than John Hadl for the next decade of the Packers back when that trade was done.
Ok, here we go…..
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Q & A with Jordan Love and Jason Wilde…..,.,
I will include snippets, quotes, and Gutekunst quotes, and my thoughts, in parentheses.
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“Love? He’s played just 19 snaps this season, and for all the excitement he generated a few weeks ago by playing well in relief of an injured Rodgers against the Eagles, he’s still only thrown a not-so-grand total of 80 passes in games that counted in the standings in nearly three full NFL seasons.”
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” Love not only reflected on his buzz-generating 10-play stint against the Eagles on Nov. 30″
(The great…..6 completion buzz)
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“With Rodgers sidelined by an injury to his ribs in Philadelphia, Love completed 6 of 9 passes for 113 yards” (WOW)
“Not a single pass Love threw against the Eagles was off target….” (BS!…An uncatchable pass was clearly behind Lazard. Not a big deal, but bs, is bs).
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“but when Jordan runs the scout team against our defense, he’s making plays” -(fuck, that’s impressive in….practice…can they hit him?…No, ok, they wearing shorts?….yes, ok)
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“But, Love confessed, there were doubts during his pandemic-affected rookie season, when he was the No. 3 quarterback behind Rodgers and Tim Boyle and never even got to wear his No. 10 jersey on a gameday.”
(Justin Herbert had the same “pandemic-affected rookie season and was Off. player of the year. Can we finally stop with the covid excuse 3 seasons later?)
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“That was tough. But I was just like, ‘I’ve just got to keep getting better. I’ve got to find a way to get better.’” Love
“And now, there’s no debate — he did get better.” (Yes Jason, he got better, we watched him complete 6 passes)
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“By his own admission, Love didn’t play well in his first NFL start at Kansas City last season. But against the Eagles, he looked like a different quarterback, and showed all the areas of improvement.
(YES!!! 3 minutes, 19 seconds, 6 completions….PROVEN)
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“I’ve seen Aaron do a lot of things, and now I’m starting to those, too. And I think, ‘If he can do it, I can do it too.”
(lol…yea, ok Tiger)
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“I think that it would be really good for him (to play in games). But I think from our end of it, we’ve seen what we need to see.” Gute
(Hmm..like i’ve told Tommi. They know what they have, i don’t think they need your advice about playing Love)
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“At the same time, Gutekunst said the team wants Rodgers, who is under contract through 2024 and set to earn a guaranteed $59.3 million next season, to return for his 19th NFL season.
(did you read that Tommi? Would you like help trying to understand it?)
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So, where does that leave Love? Asked if Rodgers comes back for the 2023 season if he really is willing to sit for yet another year, Love replied, “That’s something me and my agent will talk about. We’ll figure that out.”
(for 20 million, he’ll sit and say nothing and be a good soldier, like he’s been doing.)
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Although Love could request a trade, it’s hard to know what the Packers could get back in return.
(excuse me?!?!….6 completions!!!)
(One first round pick, possibly two?)
2 questions came to mind reading that article..
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1) Is Wilde trying to land a job with the Packers?
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2) How come..nobody has the balls to just ask the one question that is the most obvious….
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How did you feel when the Packers committed longer to Aaron Rodgers 9 months ago making him the highest paid in the NFL, when it means you’d have to sit on the bench longer?
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(possible follow up)
Did you and your agent discuss the ramifications of how that deal affects your career?
Have you realized nobody cares yet?
““I had a really great conversation with Jordan [Love] on Friday afternoon,” Wilde said. “I think he very clearly, even though he wouldn’t flat-out say it, he does not want to sit for another year. So, if we get to year four, and Rodgers does come back, I am fairly confident that he will seek a trade.”
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He can seek a trade (although i highly doubt he will) all he wants, but a trade isn’t happening. The Packers aren’t going into next season without a back up QB that knows the system…for what?….a 5th round pick?
That makes no sense.
Well…..if the Packers guarantee him 20 million, he’ll do what he’s done for the last 3 years, and say nothing.
IMO….The Packers give him the 20 million, and chase previous bad decisions, with a new one. But we’ll know soon enough.
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Jordan Love was supposed to be the Packers starting QB right now. According to the 2020 plan anyway.
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When the Packers gave Rodgers a(nother) winning lottery ticket 9 months ago to stick around.
That didn’t give anyone any indication of what they thought of Jordan Love?
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Yes, that’s sarcasm (dripping)
Damn, you don’t shut-up.