Cosell: āI donāt think Aaron Rodgers is playing particularly great football.ā
Posted on January 8, 2013 by Grant Cohn
Greg Cosell spoke on KNBR Monday afternoon. Hereās what he said about Aaron Rodgers.
Q: How good is Aaron Rodgers, and can the 49ers contain him?
COSELL: Iām not saying this to be bold or controversial, but I donāt think Aaron Rodgers is playing particularly great football. I think heās so physically gifted ā he can throw it on the run better than anyone in this league ā but heās leaving an awful lot of plays on the field.
I think heās indecisive and tentative in the pocket. Heās not pulling the trigger on throws that are there. I think this has been an ongoing thing all throughout the season.
Some people would say Iām nitpicking because of his numbers, but heās so physically gifted that there are times that he still makes plays. The biggest concern with Aaron Rodgers and their pass offense right now is not the rhythmic flow of it, itās the extension of plays. Thatās where heās at his best right now.
I would bet that the Packers will have to do some chipping with Jermichael Finley, with back, because their right tackle, Don Barclay, and quite frankly their left tackle, Marshall Newhouse, I donāt think theyāre going to be able to block Ahmad Brooks or Aldon Smith.
Q: Why do you think Rodgers is leaving a lot of plays on the field?
COSELL: Sometimes heāll leave plays on the field, move and make another play. Sometimes heāll leave plays on the field, move and get sacked. His first two sacks this week were on him. He didnāt pull the trigger to open receivers and then he couldnāt get away. The defense then beat him. Thereās been stretches of this season where heās been like this. But heās so physically gifted where heāll make throws and youāll go, āWow, not many people make that throw.ā
Q: It seems like their offense is not fazed when their in third and eight, third and 12.
COSELL: And thatās what you have to be concerned about. The burden Rodgers puts on your defense is this: No defense is built to cover, whether itās zone or man, for four, five or six seconds. No defense it built to do that. And Rodgers, with his ability to extend plays ā not only extend them, but then make throws at the intermediate and deeper levels, which is something not a lot of quarterbacks can do ā thatās the burden he puts on your defense.