Ice Bowl
Not that kinda liberal
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I'm usually not someone who's going to rush to Aaron Rodgers' defense, because frankly he's not the easiest guy to stick up for. He's a little too abrasive for my tastes. It's not that he's a bad guy - he really isn't; he's actually a hell of a good man - he's just the kind of guy who doesn't care how he comes across and couldn't care less whether people outside the team like him or not. I mean, how many NFL quarterbacks are going to openly acknowledge that their favorite movie is "The Princess Bride?"
The thing about people who don't care whether other people like them is, people often don't like them. So if he doesn't care whether people like him or not, I'm not going to worry about it very much myself. But at the same time, considering how many people seem to be offended by his press conference last night, I think it's appropriate to share a little of the backstory, and shed some light on what it was that really triggered his remarks about the offseason workouts.
One thing that bothers Rodgers more than anything is having his leadership abilities questioned. His first 3 years with Green Bay, he had to endure open hostility and disrespect from the man he looked up to, Brett Favre. When he replaced Favre, he took a great deal of abuse from a huge number of Packer fans, even to the point of seeing some pretty disgusting graffiti on the sidewalks in front of his house. The man developed a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and he's the first to admit it. He basically had to learn not only how not to care whether other people liked him, but how to use it a motivational tool. As unhealthy as it may seem to you and me, he seems practically addicted to proving his critics wrong - especially his critics in the press. He is no fan of the media, by any stretch of the imagination.
In April, just a few days after the draft, Rodgers organized a team workout program in San Diego for the offensive players. The veterans paid for the airfare and hotels for the rookies, and the plan was that they would use the time to simulate team OTAs - pretty similar to what the Saints did, and in fact he probably stole the idea from Drew.
Shortly thereafter, McCarthy made it known during a press conference that he didn't want the team doing that, and that was the end of the informal workouts. But a few weeks later, as Brees started getting more and more press for the workouts that he'd organized, some of the local papers (in both Geen Bay and Milwaukee) started criticizing Rodgers for not doing the same thing, questioning both his leadership and the motivation of the team as a whole.
That's what Rodgers was reacting to last night. It was the media he was ridiculing, not Brees or the Saints. Rodgers has made it plain a number of times that of all the quarterbacks in the league, Brees is probably the one he looks up to and admires the most, and (at least in the first couple of years of his career) tried to model himself after. If you know anything about Rodgers, the idea that he would be deliberately disrespectful to Drew Brees is almost inconceivable.
Should he have known that some people would take what he said as a slam against the Saints? Maybe. Most people probably would have thought about that, but I doubt that he did, because he just doesn't think like that. For better or worse, he says what's on his mind, and doesn't worry about how other people are going to take it. He doesn't say the things he's "supposed" to say just for the sake of saying the right thing. I know that rubs some people the wrong way, and if it offends you guys, I guess I can't blame you. But if you think it means he doesn't respect the Saints, or that he doesn't admire or respect Brees, you've got it wrong. There are a lot of legitimate reasons to not like Aaron Rodgers, but don't let that be one of them.
The thing about people who don't care whether other people like them is, people often don't like them. So if he doesn't care whether people like him or not, I'm not going to worry about it very much myself. But at the same time, considering how many people seem to be offended by his press conference last night, I think it's appropriate to share a little of the backstory, and shed some light on what it was that really triggered his remarks about the offseason workouts.
One thing that bothers Rodgers more than anything is having his leadership abilities questioned. His first 3 years with Green Bay, he had to endure open hostility and disrespect from the man he looked up to, Brett Favre. When he replaced Favre, he took a great deal of abuse from a huge number of Packer fans, even to the point of seeing some pretty disgusting graffiti on the sidewalks in front of his house. The man developed a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and he's the first to admit it. He basically had to learn not only how not to care whether other people liked him, but how to use it a motivational tool. As unhealthy as it may seem to you and me, he seems practically addicted to proving his critics wrong - especially his critics in the press. He is no fan of the media, by any stretch of the imagination.
In April, just a few days after the draft, Rodgers organized a team workout program in San Diego for the offensive players. The veterans paid for the airfare and hotels for the rookies, and the plan was that they would use the time to simulate team OTAs - pretty similar to what the Saints did, and in fact he probably stole the idea from Drew.
Shortly thereafter, McCarthy made it known during a press conference that he didn't want the team doing that, and that was the end of the informal workouts. But a few weeks later, as Brees started getting more and more press for the workouts that he'd organized, some of the local papers (in both Geen Bay and Milwaukee) started criticizing Rodgers for not doing the same thing, questioning both his leadership and the motivation of the team as a whole.
That's what Rodgers was reacting to last night. It was the media he was ridiculing, not Brees or the Saints. Rodgers has made it plain a number of times that of all the quarterbacks in the league, Brees is probably the one he looks up to and admires the most, and (at least in the first couple of years of his career) tried to model himself after. If you know anything about Rodgers, the idea that he would be deliberately disrespectful to Drew Brees is almost inconceivable.
Should he have known that some people would take what he said as a slam against the Saints? Maybe. Most people probably would have thought about that, but I doubt that he did, because he just doesn't think like that. For better or worse, he says what's on his mind, and doesn't worry about how other people are going to take it. He doesn't say the things he's "supposed" to say just for the sake of saying the right thing. I know that rubs some people the wrong way, and if it offends you guys, I guess I can't blame you. But if you think it means he doesn't respect the Saints, or that he doesn't admire or respect Brees, you've got it wrong. There are a lot of legitimate reasons to not like Aaron Rodgers, but don't let that be one of them.
