MintBaconDrivel
11 years ago

GREEN BAY — Nothing that ex-teammates Greg Jennings or Donald Driver said this offseason about his leadership style has prompted Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to change the way he approaches his teammates and his role as the team's longest-tenured player.

Rodgers, speaking on the season premiere of his weekly radio show on 540 ESPN and ESPNWisconsin.com Tuesday afternoon, did not speak specifically about what Jennings, now a member of the Minnesota Vikings, or Driver, who retired in February as the franchise's all-time leading receiver, said about him.

But when asked if their comments caused him to reevaluate his leadership style and alter it in any way, Rodgers said no.

"I don't feel like I need to," Rodgers replied. "I feel like I'm going to continue to lead the way I've been leading. And I think guys respond very positively to that and appreciate my style of leadership.

"There's a reason that I'm on the leadership council. There's a reason I'm voted a captain. And I stand by those things.

"You learn all the time about leadership: It's a constant educational process. To gather information about your teammates and try to find the best ways to inspire those guys and push those guys and get the most out of them.

"But I'm very confident in the way I lead. I think (Packers coach) Mike (McCarthy) believes in my style of leadership and I think the guys respond favorably to that. So, it's not going to change. I enjoy what I'm doing, I love my job, I love the game of football and I put a lot into it and expect to get a lot out of it as well."

Since signing with the Vikings as a free agent in March, Jennings has made multiple comments about Rodgers and the Packers organization, although he hasn't said anything about the team or his former quarterback recently.

Jennings' most direct criticism of Rodgers came in a Star Tribune story in which Jennings said, ""For me, I'm such a team person, I'm going to defer to my teammates. I'm going to defer to the team, to the team, to the team. And I think when you reach a point where you're not deferring any longer, it's no longer really about the team. ... "Don't get me wrong, '12' is a great person. But when you hear all positives, all positives, all positives all the time, it's hard for you to sit down when one of your teammates says 'Man, come on, you've got to hold yourself accountable for this.' It's hard for someone to see that now because all they've heard is I'm doing it the right way, I'm perfect. In actuality, we all have flaws."

Driver, appearing on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike last month and responding to a question about what Jennings had said, criticized Rodgers for not taking the blame for his wide receivers when they would make mistakes.

"We've always said that the quarterback is the one that needs to take the pressure off everyone else. If a guy runs the wrong route, it's easy for the quarterback to say, 'Hey, I told him to run that route' than for the guy to be like, 'Well, I ran the wrong route,'" Driver said. "Sometimes you ask Aaron to take the pressure off the guys so we won't look bad, but he didn't want to do that. He felt like if you did something bad, you do it. But I think that's the difference. You want that leadership, and I think sometimes you may not feel like you got it. You have to earn that respect at the end of the day, and I think that's what Greg was probably referring to."

Ex-Packers safety Charles Woodson, now with the Oakland Raiders, disagreed with Jennings and Driver in an interview last month .

"I think whatever you do — if you run the wrong route and you're a receiver, or if you're a quarterback and you throw an interception — it's up to you as an individual to say you messed up," Woodson said. "I don't think A-Rod has to be sticking his neck out to say I told him to do something if that's not what happened. If A-Rod needs to take the blame for something, I'm quite sure he does.

"I didn't understand that part, either. There's no question in my mind that A-Rod's the leader of that team and he does a great job. Maybe he thought he had some friends where he doesn't have some friends. Now that those guys are gone, they're voicing this. I don't know how that's fair."

Jason Wilde  wrote:


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Zero2Cool (39m) : Harrisburg Packers
Mucky Tundra (57m) : Yes
Zero2Cool (1h) : No.
dfosterf (1h) : The man carried us a lot of the time
dfosterf (1h) : I think a Kenny Clark tribute is in order
Zero2Cool (9h) : new site, text editor gooder even on phone
beast (10h) : Oh yes, sometimes they make using a cellphone tough. I just wanted to make sure it was the correct article, & thank you for pointing it out.
jdlax (11h) : I can't believe one of my teams went out and wablammo just up and acquired one of the best players in the world overnight
dfosterf (16h) : I do very much appreciate when Beast and others pick up my slack 😊
dfosterf (16h) : I accept Beast's admonishment regarding my failure to link stuff I reference. I simply never learned to link from my cell phone.
beast (16h) : That's not what your she said 😌, she said keep going 😏
Mucky Tundra (20h) : Anything over 4 hours means he needs to get to the hospital
Mucky Tundra (20h) : Someone might want to check on Hafley and make sure his erection has gone down
Zero2Cool (21h) : LaFleur texts "bleep me I cannot sit down"
Zero2Cool (22h) : YouTube has had me last hour or two lol
Mucky Tundra (22h) : Ugh this trade happened right as my shift started and it's killing me
Zero2Cool (22h) : Parsons wore 23 in high school.
Zero2Cool (22h) : Packers just cost Lions more money with Hutchinson too huh
Zero2Cool (28-Aug) : That is fair by me.
buckeyepackfan (28-Aug) : Kenny Clark is the player, 2 1st rnd picks
Zero2Cool (28-Aug) : umm... what?
wpr (28-Aug) : I am stunned
Mucky Tundra (28-Aug) : RICKEY SCOOPS WAS RIGHT AGAIN!!!
Mucky Tundra (28-Aug) : ITS HAPPENING
buckeyepackfan (28-Aug) : DEAL IS DONE
buckeyepackfan (28-Aug) : MICAH IS COMING TO GREEN BAY!!!!!!!!!
wpr (28-Aug) : Me do-ed it gooderly,
Zero2Cool (28-Aug) : Bahah, I was like WTF why isn't anyone posting on PP.com ... oops no one has permissions
dfosterf (27-Aug) : tell her I reckon
dfosterf (27-Aug) : Micah Robinson cut. Probable PS player tomorrow. Has to call mom back and t
Zero2Cool (27-Aug) : New site so much better. Might make switch and deal with it.
dfosterf (27-Aug) : Mecole Hardman to our practice squad
dfosterf (27-Aug) : Nick Nieman from Texans our 5th linebacker. Special teams signing
TheKanataThrilla (27-Aug) : Looks like we signed Clayton Tune as QB3
wpr (27-Aug) : TKT people lose their minds over QB3. Point is almost none of them are ready that's why they are on the PS and other teams don't take them.
TheKanataThrilla (27-Aug) : Unfortunately he doesn't seem ready to be an emergency QB.
TheKanataThrilla (27-Aug) : As a Canadian and a follower of Canadian University football. I am rooting for him
dfosterf (27-Aug) : I bet a lot of us will follow the Taylor Elgersma journey with interest. Personally, got a Kurt Warner vibe goin' on. I like him
TheKanataThrilla (27-Aug) : Not sure if either will be claimed though.
TheKanataThrilla (27-Aug) : Tune or Hooker would make sense
dfosterf (27-Aug) : Clayton Tune cut by the Cards? Don't know if that's the guy, we shall see
TheKanataThrilla (27-Aug) : Per Bill Huber, the Packers will not be bringing back Taylor Elgersma or Sean Clifford on the practice squad, so a new third quarterback
Mucky Tundra (27-Aug) : Schefter must have deleted his tweet
dfosterf (27-Aug) : Hopefully Jerry reaches under the seat cushions and ashtrays of his jet and scrapes up the 45 million apr and spares us further nonsense
dfosterf (27-Aug) : Have to admit the PO'd Cowboy fan videos would be fun to watch. Problem with draft picks is half their fanbase barely knows what that is
beast (27-Aug) : I think Cowboys fans are ready to get their pitch forks and burning sticks if Jerry were to trade Micah
dfosterf (27-Aug) : If Jerry traded Micah to GB, here in northern Va. they would have to quick build yet another data center to handle the internet hate traffic
Zero2Cool (27-Aug) : its signing and trades that you don't hear about, other then announced
Zero2Cool (27-Aug) : If you hear rumors about Packers sign or trade, won't happen. Not how they work
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