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This is the only way to describe Rodgers’ weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, where he explained the comments he made after the Packers’ win over Detroit, when he vaguely referred to criticism of “bullsh-” and expressed his joy at removing the “trolls” from the back. of the team for a week. Well, it turns out that wasn’t the only thing Rodgers had to say. There was more – one parcel more – and it seemed to be headed for a few former NFL players and coaches who shot Rodgers pretty directly in the days following Green Bay’s 38-3 season opener loss.
“It’s completely crazy – giving a platform to people who have no idea what they’re talking about in regards to my mental state and focus, my work habits – people who haven’t been around.” of me, are not in my life, I have no communication with them, [and] aren’t in the locker room, ”Rodgers said during his appearance. “It’s just that it’s chicken…”
So who exactly was Rodgers talking about? Well, he didn’t name anyone directly, but you didn’t have to search carefully last week to find former NFL players and coaches to take a hammer from him. Some of the eyebrow-raising comments came from former Rodgers teammate Jermichael Finley, a tight end who had a hot and cold relationship with the quarterback and was also a critic of Rodgers for several years. He appeared prominently last week on a handful of platforms, calling on Green Bay to put Rodgers on the bench if he struggled, repeating Rodgers looking tired and questioning his “hunger”.
“You can actually see it through his helmet,” Finley said of Rodgers during an appearance on ESPN’s “Keyshawn, JWill & Max”. “The eyes and the face tell everything as a personality. And, I just don’t see that NFL hunger and just the hunger to go win another championship. “
Finley then doubled down on that review with TMZ Sports, suggesting Rodgers “probably doesn’t want to play football anymore.”
It could have ended there, with Rodgers getting the pointy end of the stick from a former teammate. But that’s not the case, other analysts looked at the quarterback ahead of Monday’s game. Perhaps none as critical as the NFL Today team on CBS, who spent part of Sunday’s pre-game show absolutely burying Rodgers after Week 1. The roundtable included the former wide- out Nate Burleson, former quarterbacks Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms, and former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, all of whom questioned some elements of Rodgers’ involvement in football.
This foursome in particular seemed to be competing to outdo each other in their reviews of Rodgers, all of which were remarkably damning after just one game. Esiason started off by saying he thought Rodgers was bored at Green Bay, then teased the quarterback having a “man bun” and finding his “inner peace” during the offseason. Burleson responded by saying Rodgers made the offseason about himself and remarked that “his disposition was bad on the sidelines. [against the Saints], too much. It almost seemed like he didn’t care what was going on. Cowher went on to criticize Rodgers wanting more front office communication, saying the quarterback looked “selfish,” “aloof” and “like he didn’t care.” Simms closed the discussion by calling Rodgers a “distraction” during the offseason.
Even for the often overdone Sunday morning studio shows, this one had a remarkable amount of venom. And it looked like Rodgers was responding to that show as well as Finley during Tuesday’s appearance.
“It’s so ridiculous that people have a platform to do that and it’s the same type of people,” Rodgers told McAfee and former Packers linebacker AJ Hawk, who is a guest host of. the show. “On the other hand, in today’s media, the things that get the most [attention], it’s all about clicks, isn’t it? And hits and views. A second counts as a sight.
“So the real opinions that get the most attention are the most outlandish. It’s not even an overreaction on Monday or Tuesday anymore. It’s overreacting every time a microphone is in your face. Anytime you have a single shot in the camera and you’re talking into the camera, anytime you’re in a panel, that’s who can say the wackiest things because it’s going to give you the most success.
“These are the media we live in,” Rodgers continued. “It’s very good. But at the same time, I still have this show, I have my weekly [media] thing. Most people don’t use their platform to defend themselves. I don’t think I need to defend myself against people who aren’t worth spending time. But I’ll always remind you that, listen to the source of some of these things. And remember, it’s often the same people and the same tired rhetoric.
“I was just surprised after week 1 that there was such a story out there. But what’s crazy for me is leaving a script, by someone who has no contact with me – has no relation – for [let] it becomes a kind of story that exists, that now I don’t care about the ball because of my zen attitude during the offseason? This is bullshit – I was talking about [after the win over the Lions]. “
Finally, Rodgers closed his expansive appearance with a simple message:
“The trolls are over there,” he said, “I understand. But truth and facts should not be replaced by guesswork – unfounded guesswork. When it does, I’m grateful for the opportunity and for my reporters to be able to say, “Hey listen, just think of who’s saying these things.” … I think all these people who are on these shows now think they’re celebrities. They believe they have this platform to use it to say whatever they want. This is how they attract attention. This is how they get promotions. This is how they find themselves on several networks. This is how they get their name, get a blue check mark, and can go to the Met Ball and whatever the hell that goes. This is the society we are in now.
So… it’s two weeks on the books. Rodgers’ critics had their scathing moment and he hit back. With 15 more games to come, it’s likely the first trade won’t be the last.
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