Yesterday, there was a chat around the Packers/Lions game. The talk about Aaron Rodgers got so belligerent, I had to leave. It truly amazes me how some people are fans of the same team, but can be complete utter assholes to one another.

I want to make something abundantly clear before I jump into this. I believe Aaron Rodgers is a top ten quarterback in the NFL. I do not want him released, traded, benched or whatever else. The fact of the matter is Rodgers is not the ole Rodgers we were spoiled with. That's a fact. That is not something that can be disputed. Aaron Rodgers is HUMAN and father time is doing it's thing. It happens to all of us.

Let's dive into the two different groups I've observed regarding Aaron Rodgers.

The Rodgers Apologists - these fans feel Rodgers does nothing wrong and it's everyone else's fault -- the favorite to blame -- the WR's. I'm going to speculate these fans endured the 70's and/or 80's piss poor teams and appreciate the hell out of what Rodgers has done.

The Rodgers Antagonists - these fans feel Rodgers is to blame for everything, even their late rent payment. I speculate some of these fans began following the Packers in the late 80's or early 90's if not later and don't really know what shitty quarterbacks look like sporting Green and Gold.

So, what the hell is going on?

Are the WR getting open?
According to NextGen Stats, the Packers WR's get the most separation in the NFL.

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Are the players dropping passes?
Packers had 15 dropped passes which was 21st in the league. Meaning 20 teams had more dropped passes. - Source 

I needed a 2nd source on the subject because that didn't feel right. I went with PFF who has Rodgers tied with 5th in drops (DRP: Drops - on-target passes dropped by the receiver.) with 30.

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Our WR group is Davante Adams and guys who are basically what you want at WR3 and WR4. Allen Lazard looks most promising to elevate himself to a legit WR2.

Our QB is not as accurate as we are used to seeing. He's not throwing guys open. He's not hitting guys in stride. He's over throwing guys (16 overthrows vs Lions most by any QB in like 15 years). He's under throwing guys (which led to his lone interception yesterday). The part that scares me is his quote below. My hope is he's aware of what the deal was and is going to correct it.

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That said, Rodgers is still capable of throwing amazing throws. Look at that screen pass at the end of the Lions game. How the hell did he fit that ball in there? Freaking amazing!

I was wondering if the collarbone could be the issue so I threw together his numbers of similar games before and after the injury. You decide.

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Check out the Charts for Aaron Rodgers
https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/player/aaron-rodgers/ROD339293 

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Thanks Kevin. I also was getting upset at the back and forth attack by a few posters. There’s nothing wrong with having different opinions, but that’s what they are, your opinion.

Anyone that thinks Rodgers hasn’t lost something.....I don’t know how they can watch the games and not see it.
Yesterday he was overthrowing guys left and right, and throwing behind guys. Had he lead them, we would have had more scores.
Ad to that the dropped passes that SHOULD have been caught.

My opinion is: Rodgers needs to take what the defense gives. Hit more quick passes on short crossing routes.
Rodgers wasn’t getting huge pressure yesterday, and was just missing guys. Then, when he had a guy right on top of him on the last drive, he hits Jones with a arrow.
It seems he’s better under pressure. Like , maybe he doesn’t have time to THINK about the throw, and just does it.
That’s my 2 cents.

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Real question is will Rodgers accept this or go down swin...er, throwing?

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And the thing is, there is no guarantee that they will ever get to this point again.
If Rodgers doesn’t look at his play honestly, and make the changes, (taking the short quick passes instead of seemingly always looking for the long pass) the season will end with disappointment.
Yes, I know they have overachieved. But they have a shot at a super bowl. Rodgers is on the downside of his career. They may never get this chance again.
Pull out all stops, put it all out on the field. Don’t waste this opportunity.

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I am in both camps. The one thing I said during chat is that Rodgers is really not fun to watch most of the time. Seeing him waste downs and make the same mistakes over and over again is frustrating. The mistakes by the WR corps are also frustrating and, to be honest, I don't know where Rodger's faults end and the WR problems begin. Maybe those overthrows were because MVS was not where he was supposed to be on those deep throws given his expected speed.

MLF and Aaron Rodgers won't solve everything in two weeks. Given the luxury of a good defense though, maybe they only need to figure out enough to get by. How amazing would it be for the Pack to get 3 more ugly wins??? Unlike the performance against the 3-win Lions, I am trying to set my expectations low for the next game. It is amazing for the Pack to be where they are at and I am thankful for it. . . What I am trying to say is this team is a walking paradox.

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Rodgers has definitely declined. But my thing is that it’s not entirely his fault. How many of those over throws were due to miscommunications? Was the potential miscommunication his fault, or the receiver’s fault? That’s what none of us will ever know because we aren’t in practice. We don’t know anything about the design of the play other than what we see on the broadcast.

I do know that it seemed like yesterday Rodgers was throwing to receivers that he’s never practiced with. That’s not a good thing, especially in week 17. Who’s at fault? Who knows. I’d say it’s on both Rodgers AND the receivers. And I wasn’t a fan of the play calling either. Just seemed like there wasn’t much up-tempo calls. That was frustrating because up-tempo seems to be where we are at our best. Why get away from it?

Moral of the story in my opinion is that it is not 100% on Rodgers. But he’s certainly not playing at the top of his game either. I do think it is extremely important to address the WR position in the offseason. Should’ve been done this past offseason, but instead we made the situation worse by not re-signing Cobb. Frustrating.

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Is that when two doctors are walking down the street???😋🤪

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As the "The Rodgers Antagonist" that I'm being called... i certainly don't blame Rodgers for everything (and I've only ever had one late payment in my life, and it wasn't rent)... that throw to Jimmy Graham early was certainly a drop, and the blocking flag on Adams certainly hurt a hell of a lot.

The Packers just pissed me off in the 1st half against the Vikings when the small ball of running and short passes were working perfectly, and after they got into Vikings territory, kept going for the long bomb, which wasn't working at all, as the Vikings are set-up to stop the long bombs. I bitched about that, because the Packers were killing themselves, if they just kept doing was working they would of scored a lot more, and they FINALLY adjusted and did just that in the second half.

The Lions were trying to stop the short stuff and daring them to throw long, and they attempted it then, where it was the correct call to try some bombs. As already mentioned, Graham dropped a ball, Adams got flagged for blocking early, and Rodgers missed one throw... one person was non-stop pissing on about the Adams flag and the fact that I said Rodgers missed one throw...

I don't believe my claim that Rodgers missing one throw was a big deal... and I don't think I was antagonizing Rodgers. I tried to drop it and move for forward in the game, but that one person kept pissing on, and finally I decided to give them some of their own medicine (then they got all pissy).

Sorry we upset you Zero. But Rodgers was off yesterday, and he absolutely admitted it, and the stats agree. I didn't think it was a big deal that a WR dropped a tough pass that was too off target, just stating that it happened in my opinion.

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[list]

When you over throw the RB that's behind the line of scrimmage, that's on the QB.

When you over throw the WR that's running a five yard slant, that's on the QB.

When you over throw the RB on a wheel route, that's on the QB.

When you throw behind the WR on a 20 yard slant and the ball hits the WR in the hands and he drops it, that's on the WR and should be left in Detroit to rot away.

When you throw a dart down the middle to open the game and the TE drops it, that's on the TE who should be cut immediately. [/list]

What has me concerned is when I see our MVP missing routine throws I see other QB's making. I know our WR's aren't Lynn Swann and John Stalworth, but I see lesser QB's doing more with less. I'm a spoiled fan who wants his MVP to stop aging and keep dominating.

https://gamepass.nfl.com/  subscribe. You will not watch football the same again after watching a few All-22's. You'll thank me.




Rodgers has said he knows what he's doing with what he says in his press conferences. Knowing that, I think some of his comments could mean we will see more Lazard and Kumerow than Allison and Valdes-Scantling in the post-season. Just a hunch.


I'm pleased with the off-season. We had a lot of holes and depth to fill and I think the staff did a damn good job. Sure, I would have loved a WR, but I'm a realist.

Randall Cobb? You have to be shitting me. The guy who only 3 players (includes WR,TE, HB) had more drops this season? Yeah, you're right. We should have inked him to a one year $5 million contract. Cobb was the 4th most targeted player on his team.
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I think we see eye to eye on Rodgers for the most part. I will say this, the WR position NEEDS to be addressed this off-season. Our QB cannot turn Jarrett Boykin's into Jordy Nelson's anymore. We need to get him some talent! I want a Free Agent and 2nd or 3rd round pick talent brought up in here! Let's go back to back Super Bowl Victories!

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