The Green Bay Packers’ 27-24 loss at the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday put the team and quarterback Aaron Rodgers in near-crisis mode only 10 games into the season. They currently sit in eighth place in the NFC with two teams able to push them further down the standings by Sunday night.
NFL pundits hit social media with their hot takes following the Packers’ loss, but the one that blew my mind the most came from Fox Sports’ Skip Bayless.
“Aaron Rodgers is the LeBron James of the NFL, so overhyped for spectacular games instead of results,” Bayless wrote on Twitter. “Rodgers played in (and won) one Super Bowl NINE YEARS AGO! Since, he's 5-6 in playoffs. The 5 wins: Joe Webb, Dez catch, Kirk Cousins (SIC), Giants boat trip, Mason Crossbar from 56 & 51.”
There are several issues with Bayless’s take. Let’s hit the obvious issue first:
If arguing that Rodgers doesn’t get results, comparing with James is the wrong idea
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James entered his first season in Southern California with 13 straight NBA playoff appearances and eight consecutive NBA Finals appearances. James won three NBA titles during that stretch. He’s rarely injured and plays on a much smaller roster than the Rodgers.
There are several clutch performers in NBA history that struggled to win the big one. Former Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets forward Charles Barkley’s performances in the postseason were completely on par with his regular season. His dominant showing in the 1993 NBA Finals is often forgotten because the Suns were playing Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Allen Iverson, Karl Malone, and John Stockton also come to mind.
Yet James has won three titles in eight consecutive NBA Finals experiences. Those are spectacular results. To say otherwise is to ignore everything James has done.
Football and basketball are team sports
Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino remains one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, but he never won a Super Bowl. Some pundits criticized him for that over the years, but none of those criticisms have stood up over time. The reason is simple. NFL teams contain 53 players, not one. Anyone that watched the Dolphins play during the peak of Marino’s career knew that Miami’s issues weren’t his fault. The same goes for Aaron Rodgers. He’s one man – part of an organization that includes the front office, coaching staff, and his teammates.
What Bayless seems to forget is how the Packers played without Rodgers last season. He also ignores the actual issues with the Green Bay roster and coaching staff. The Packers finished 7-9 and never compiled more than 384 total yards in a game during 2017. Green Bay’s porous offensive line gave up 51 sacks, including 22 in Rodgers’s seven games. Believe it or not, the Packers defense was worse. It ranked 25th in total yards allowed.
This has been the status quo for the Packers since their Super Bowl victory. Green Bay has consistently fielded flawed teams and relied on Rodgers to shoulder the load. His drive to win has picked up the Packers when other quarterbacks have folded. To criticize Rodgers for a lack of results is to ignore the real issues that have plagued the Packers for nearly a decade.
Results don’t come without opportunities
The irony of Bayless’s claims are that the results don’t show for Rodgers. The reality is that recent coaching decisions and mistakes by teammates have led to Rodgers not getting the opportunity to win games for the Packers. Against the Rams in Week 8, now former running back Ty Montgomery fumbled a kickoff after being told to keep it in the endzone. The Rams took over possession and ran out the clock for a 29-27 victory.
Last night against the Seahawks, head coach Mike McCarthy chose to punt the ball away on 4th and 2 with just over four minutes remaining in the game, which took the ball out of his quarterback’s hands. The Seahawks then ran the clock out with two first downs. Sound familiar?
This isn’t to say that Rodgers is some type of football God. However, Rodgers is one of the best players in the league. Defenses across the NFL fear him, especially in the last two minutes of a game. If the Packers fail to put the ball in his hands during those situations, then is it his fault?
Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning won only one Super Bowl with his former team, but the moment he missed a season due to injury, we saw how his play on the field covered the flaws on the roster. The same is true for Rodgers. All we need to do is look at how the Packers performed without him in 2017. Rodgers continually covers up his team’s flaws. The results show that both when he is on and off the field.
Follow Us
Subscribe