Eh, the "sportsmanship" thing is overrated, imo. If you don't want your opponent to score, than freakin' stop them. Teams (should) come to play for 60 minutes, so no one should be surprised if they are still playing their game throughout the third quarter. Late fourth quarter may be different, but not the early third. Live reps are invaluable, even for players like Aaron Rodgers. Of cource Rodgers et al. should play very smart in those situations, but there's nothing wrong with them continuing to play. In fact, if the Packers were getting beat that bad, I want would the opposing team to keep their foot on the throttle. If a team is playing as bad as the Bears were playing, they SHOULD be embarrassed. Perhaps it will be a catalyst for change. Perhaps it also gives them a chance to improve and figure out how to stop the opposing team.
I've never felt sorry for teams getting pummeled. It's not the opposing teams responsibility to take it easy on them. This isn't high school sports or the little leagues. These are grown professional men making millions of dollars. It's not being a poor sport to simply play the game. The Packers can't help that the Bears simply could not stop them. That's their problem, not the Packers. A team also can't play scared and be worried about getting injured, because that's when it will likely happen.
I don't necessarily disagree with pulling Rodgers. However, I definitely wouldn't disagree with leaving him in longer and continuing to play their game. Certainly through the 3rd quarter. The Bears or any other team in their position would have no one to be mad at but themselves, not the Packers. If they were pissed off at the Packers for continuing to execute their game plan, then they would be sore losers and misdirecting their hostility, imo. The woe is me thing isn't going to improve anyone.
Originally Posted by: DoddPower