What Happened in Green Bay - Bleacher Report

[OldSchool101]

All I hope is we start on a clean slate now.

Pretty clean. Newer GM And DC, brand new HC and OC and ST coach. Aside from QB it doesn’t get much cleaner!

 

[OldSchool101]

I hate to say it but .. Aaron Rodgers better pour it on this year, it’s about time we get back on top of this division. This 7-8-1 type stuff is for the birds. I’m starting to know how a Chicago fan feels

 

[Zartan]

Hope Rodgers comes into this season with a massive chip on his shoulder.

 

[HardRightEdge]

I can't possibly enumerate the ways this piece is overcooked with certain facts overlooked.

 

[rmontro]

The best line in this article is about the 2015 NFCCG: "McCarthy coached with the ferocity of a sloth". Lol.
By the way, if it's true McCarthy has a low football IQ, what does that say about Thompson, who was so impressed by him when he hired him?

Anyway. I don't know why some people got upset over the article. Whether this is accurate or not, obviously something happened with the Packers that led to the loss of their winning ways, even if it was just a lack of talent. You put all those people working together, and you're going to get some drama somewhere. It's unavoidable. I say "So what?", and let's hope for better this season. We can start with a good draft.

 

[Patriotplayer90]

Bill Michaels said at the last SB, he heard rumors that established coaches didn't want to deal with Rodgers

Which established coaches? You are telling me that Bill B wouldn't work with Rodgers? That McVay wouldn't be jumping out of his chair thinking of the possibilities with him? These coaches are probably weak like McCarthy, threatened by someone who actually may be better and more knowledgeable than they are.

I can't believe anyone who read this article has anything negative to say and Rodgers. His coach was sneaking in a lady to give him massages while the team was practicing. He called plays that they couldn't even execute in practice. He didn't know the personnel packages for his plays. How in the hell could you not be frustrated beyond belief, if your success was riding on a lazy, unprepared, incompetent idiot? I'm surprised that he kept his foot in his mouth as much as he did. I am sure he would have demanded that he be fired or him traded, if he wouldn't have been unfairly judged for doing so.

 

[sschind]

best candidate ever for the use of the ignore thread button.

No offense to you C-Lee for posting it as someone had to but I can't think of a single beneficial thing that can come out of this discussion. I'll un ignore it in a few weeks to see how many pages it is up to.

 

[PackAttack12]

The McCarthy/Rodgers relationship was manageable all the way up to the 2014 NFC Championship game. The combination of Rodgers losing all faith in McCarthy’s killer instinct, or lack thereof, with his conservative playcalling and decision making, paired with Thompson falling off his rocker that offseason which was the start of multiple poor offseasons in a row, really were the launch pad to the situation the Packers find themselves in now.

Managing a toxic relationship with two big egos is easy when you have a ton of talent and are winning a bunch of games. But when that elite talent isn’t there, and your stale scheme gets exposed, and the team starts losing, it isn’t salvageable.

This divorce was well overdue. All we can really hope for now is that all of this is in the past.

 

[Mondio]

best candidate ever for the use of the ignore thread button.

No offense to you C-Lee for posting it as someone had to but I can't think of a single beneficial thing that can come out of this discussion. I'll un ignore it in a few weeks to see how many pages it is up to.

I’d thank you for the tip, but you won’t see it. And if you do, I won’t see it. What a conundrum.

 

[sjb12681]

While I hope this can be a palate cleanser, chances are this article will be talked about during every single game.

For anyone who read the article and is an avid follower of the team, very little should have been new info. I can easily see AR doing/saying many of the things mentioned in this report. Doesn't make him wrong. Like the article states... Good with the bad. It's what you get for his way of play.

I hope it spurns a FURIOUS start to the Lefluer era and that he's able to help Aaron sharpen that chip to a razors edge. If not, and we see a disconnect... I hope we are committed to getting this team on the same page, fast. Even if that means moving on from another HOF Player who has become the piece that no longer fits the puzzle we are working on now.

Not a popular opinion with who. I'm reffrefer to, but no one player is bigger than the team.

 

[PackinMSP]

Let's be honest here...

Mike seems like a real nice guys (with a hot daughter too btw)

But he is NOT a good NFL football coach

I don't even know how/why a team would hire him as an OC

A quarterbacks coach.... MAYBE

But an NFL Head Coach or even an Offensive Coordinator... NO

 

[gopkrs]

I hate to say it but .. Aaron Rodgers better pour it on this year, it’s about we get back on top of this division. This 7-8-1 type stuff is for the birds. I’m starting to know how a Chicago fan feels

I am looking forward to just that. But there is little doubt in my mind that the competition in our division is at a pretty high level right now.

 

[OldSchool101]

I am looking forward to just that. But there is little doubt in my mind that the competition in our division is at a pretty high level right now.

Yeah. Divisions go through phases, peaks and troughs. But we still have the best QB and it all starts there.. we have to keep him on his feet and invest in surrounding him with talent. I’m not talking about 5th rounder stuff either. I want to see a high grade OL and receiving threat BEFORE day 3
We just invested well into 9 $ digits at Defense. It’s time to hit this Offense like there’s no tomorrow.

 

[brandon2348]

Once again this is all talk that starts when you are LOSERS!. If your winning then nobody cares.

Rodgers has proven that that he can win in this league. I am not so sure MM has done anything to prove he can win without Rodgers.

At the end of the day MM's offense didn't evolve with the times and Ted Thompson didnt do either Rodgers or McCarthy any favors with his horrible personnel moves or lack of on offense. If Gute doesnt do some things quickly in the draft to upgrade the offense then LaFleur will follow the same fate as MM. Scheme alone will not fix the talent deficiencies on the offensive side.

 

[PackFan2]

I feckin blame TT. He was the reason this festered for so long. And the talent drain that was the root cause as mentioned in article is all due to him.

The article makes good points but with lots of conjecture. AR hating MM back from 2006 due to draft is just plain nonsense and post facto revisionism. I haven't see this even hinted to back then.

MMs lack of adaptability and ARs perceived arrogance is well known before. He was single handedly keeping us in the race for years. He deserves a bit of leeway there, and he got it.

All I hope is we start on a clean slate now.

100%

I also say, TTs failure to pick up veterans killed the locker room. When we won the SB we had abunch of veterans on the team from Woodson (who would definitely get on Rodgers case if things went sour), Hawk, Pickett etc...

I also think McCarthy took alot of blame for others even when it wasnt his fault aka TT... However, I felt like McCarthy held on to some personnel too long like Capers.. failure to modernize left us in the dust.. I feel theres some truth to Rodgers ego too but like I said above, having veterans on your team keeps that ego in check. That St. Brown situation was just sad... hope that get that sh*t fixed..

 

[speakhands]

My thoughts:

(1) Mark Murphy got off WAY too easy in this article. It was on him to put pressure on the franchise from the top - starting in at least 2014, but certainly in 2015 when it became so obvious that the offense was, as I recall Mark Schlereth saying then (4 years ago!), basically *broken play on 3, break* Letting Thompson continue to sleep at the wheel, the roster continue to deteriorate, and the scheme continue to be stale is unacceptable.

(2) McCarthy was clearly arrogant in his own right. Moving around position coaches from one position group to another instead of hiring new talent is absurdly stupid. Reminds me of corrupt foreign governments where cronies get moved from Interior to Transportation to Treasury to Energy without bringing any actual expertise to any of them. His apparent belief that he was an offensive mastermind is frankly kind of sad. I think most Packers fans knew he wasn't a great playcaller or game manager. I personally always thought his best traits were as a disciplinarian and team manager who would keep the squad in line and not let drama reach the news.

(3) Greg Jennings has to be the biggest ****** bag in Packers history - even more than Finley. The fact that he was quoted so much really reflects poorly on the quality of the article.

(4) It feels so good being vindicated about MM's offense being stale and predicted. Also really interesting to me (maybe you all knew this before) that Aaron drew up the Jared Cook play in the huddle and told Lane Taylor to pull for the roll out.

(5) The thing about players feeling MM didn't hold players accountable was interesting, particularly in regard to Bostick (poor guy). What's funny is that the only real instance of that that stuck out to me was Brad Jones. Jones also had some blown plays in that game, such as on the fake field goal. And he should have been benched loooong before that. Same with Cobb/Adams in 2015: Abbrederis and Janis should have seen more playing time given how badly Cobb/Adams were playing.

(6) The lack of position group leadership was kind of interesting. I think every Packers fan realized long ago that Rodgers isn't really the vocal leader Tom Brady-type. He wasn't during the Super Bowl run and he isn't now. That's not really his style. And that's okay. That's one reason why I was so disappointed we let Jordy go when he could have been a mentor and leader for both the WR and DB groups.

(7) Man, if there wasn't friction between Rodgers and the second year receivers - MVS, EQ, and J'mon - there might be now. The **** about MVS saying Rodgers just doesn't like him? Come on, man.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I think we have to trade Rodgers no later than training camp next year after this article. Anyone who disagrees with me is more than welcome to join him in Jacksonville.

It would be a terrible idea letting a journalist dictate personnel moves.

Same with Cobb/Adams in 2015: Abbrederis and Janis should have seen more playing time given how badly Cobb/Adams were playing.

Abbrederis and Janis definitely weren't better options than Cobb or Adams in 2015.

 

[G0P4ckG0]

As a lifelong Packers fan I hate to hear this news, but I can honestly say I've "felt" that this has been going on since McCarthy was hired. EVERYONE laughed at me when I said that McCarthy is a terrible coach and that Rodgers has a massive ego, and both should be let go. Now the truth finally comes out...

I still want Rodgers as our QB but would not at all be opposed to sending him packing if he isn't willing to be coached, because that is not the Green Bay way.

 

[Quientus]

Which established coaches? You are telling me that Bill B wouldn't work with Rodgers? That McVay wouldn't be jumping out of his chair thinking of the possibilities with him? These coaches are probably weak like McCarthy, threatened by someone who actually may be better and more knowledgeable than they are.

I can't believe anyone who read this article has anything negative to say and Rodgers. His coach was sneaking in a lady to give him massages while the team was practicing. He called plays that they couldn't even execute in practice. He didn't know the personnel packages for his plays. How in the hell could you not be frustrated beyond belief, if your success was riding on a lazy, unprepared, incompetent idiot? I'm surprised that he kept his foot in his mouth as much as he did. I am sure he would have demanded that he be fired or him traded, if he wouldn't have been unfairly judged for doing so.

Amazing how some of you are totally “blind” and outright refuse to acknowledge that Rodgers is NOT without Blame ...

It is an almost certainty that a coach/GM like Belichick would NOT accept The behaviour Rodgers has displayed. Just look at The long list of players that have been shipped off from NE bevandrede they either had an attitude problem, demanded too Much Money or both ...

Now, I’ve never been a fan of neither McLardy nor Rodgers, however, - as I’ve Stated numerous times, while Rodgers is an extremely talented qb, Rodgers has never been (and most likely never Will be) a Leader, especially NOT untill he changes his attitude and demeanor.

I hope I am wrong, but I Honestly Think we’ll see Rodgers and Lafleur butting heads sooner rather than later ... - especially if what was relayed about Murphy telling Rodgers before The Packers hired Lafleur ...

 

[Deleted member 6794]

EVERYONE laughed at me when I said that McCarthy is a terrible coach and that Rodgers has a massive ego, and both should be let go.

The article doesn't change anything about the Packers needing to hold on to the most efficient quarterback in NFL history.

Amazing how some of you are totally “blind” and outright refuse to acknowledge that Rodgers is NOT without Blame ...

Rodgers definitely deserves part of the blame for the Packers struggles but in my opinion shouldn't be considered the main culprit for it.

 

[Curly Calhoun]

I'm not too concerned with what happened in the past, or who's fault it was, etc. They're all gone now, and I'm looking forward.

Moving on....

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I'm not too concerned with what happened in the past, or who's fault it was, etc. They're all gone now, and I'm looking forward.

Moving on....

Rodgers is still here.

 

[thequick12]

Rodgers is still here.

Rodgers was not the problem. Even though he definitely has an ego problem that's not a deal breaker. Id imagine most NFL QBs have an ego problem.

From my own experience with Rodgers backstage at a concert during the exact time period that this stuff was really starting to get out of control. l totally believe most of the things said in this article. He is 100% arrogant, egocentric, and just totally full of himself. But those are probably some of the same qualities that make him perhaps the most talented qb ever in NFL history.

Do we think that Ben rothlisberger or Tom Brady doesn't have an ego problem? The problem was Mike McCarthy because his job as head coach or as they would call him in baseball or soccer, is to be the manager. His number one job is to manage the players on the team, that includes their egos.

McCarthy was either not intelligent enough or his own ego problem stood in the way of him doing that job to any degree of competency.

Hopefully Lafleur being a younger more modern guy, realizes that his number one job is to manage the personalities on his team. Starting with the most important one, Rodgers. Now that doesn't mean I think you just let Rodgers do whatever he wants, I think that means you have to be smart enough to make him think he wants to do the things you want him to do. With McCarthy being a total buffoon of a human being he probably didn't have the mental capacity to manipulate a personality like Rodgers. Where as MM was your classic big dumb football player here's to hoping Lafleur being a younger more modern type of football coach also comes with a much higher degree of intelligence. If he does he'll do fine with Rodgers and thus the team

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Rodgers was not the problem. Even though he definitely has an ego problem that's not a deal breaker. Id imagine most NFL QBs have an ego problem.

From my own experience with Rodgers backstage at a concert during the exact time period that this stuff was really starting to get out of control. l totally believe most of the things said in this article. He is 100% arrogant, egocentric, and just totally full of himself. But those are probably some of the same qualities that make him perhaps the most talented qb ever in NFL history.

Do we think that Ben rothlisberger or Tom Brady doesn't have an ego problem? The problem was Mike McCarthy because his job as head coach or as they would call him in baseball or soccer, is to be the manager. His number one job is to manage the players on the team, that includes their egos.

McCarthy was either not intelligent enough or his own ego problem stood in the way of him doing that job to any degree of competency.

Hopefully Lafleur being a younger more modern guy, realizes that his number one job is to manage the personalities on his team. Starting with the most important one, Rodgers. Now that doesn't mean I think you just let Rodgers do whatever he wants, I think that means you have to be smart enough to make him think he wants to do the things you want him to do. With McCarthy being a total buffoon of a human being he probably didn't have the mental capacity to manipulate a personality like Rodgers. Where as MM was your classic big dumb football player here's to hoping Lafleur being a younger more modern type of football coach also comes with a much higher degree of intelligence. If he does he'll do fine with Rodgers and thus the team

Rodgers was part of the problem though. The Packers will face tough times if LaFleur is capable of having #12 completely buy into his system.

 

[thequick12]

Rodgers was part of the problem though. The Packers will face tough times if LaFleur is capable of having #12 completely buy into his system.

That's exactly what I said if Lafleur isn't smart enough to realize his number one job is managing Aaron Rodgers, then yes this isn't gonna go well.

If Lafleur is smart enough to manipulate Rodgers into thinking that what Lafleur wants is best for him too, everything will go great.

MM couldn't even manage the clock how was he gonna manage Rodgers? Rodgers is a very smart human being which makes it nearly impossible for a guy like McCarthy to manage him. Lafleur seems much less a football oof and way more of an intelligent person. So I'm optimistic that he has the brain to make it all work.

I do believe Rodgers never respected MM because of his lack of intelligence coupled with the perceived slight of passing him over in the draft. Had MM proved to Rodgers that he was on his level intellectually I think Rodgers would have moved on from the whole you picked Alex Smith over me thing and respected him.

I think Lafleur is going to prove himself, show that he's on Rodgers level intellectually and Rodgers will buy in and the Packers will win 3 super bowls before Rodgers hangs em up