Michael Dixon
Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy is not happy with his team’s effort in Aaron Rodgers’ absence. Following the team’s Week 9 Monday Night Football loss, McCarthy voiced his displeasure.
“Let’s be frank here,” McCarthy said, per Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal. “We all need to do better. We had an injury to Aaron Rodgers, and nobody has stepped up.”
In one respect, McCarthy is not wrong. The Packers have played poorly without Rodgers. He was hurt in a Week 6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. In Week 7, Green Bay lost 26-17 to the New Orleans Saints. Following a Week 8 bye, the Packers came out completely flat in a 30-17 Week 9 loss to the Detroit Lions.
When a key player gets hurt and a team goes from 4-1 to 4-4, “nobody has stepped up” is a hard statement to argue.
On the other hand, is McCarthy really surprised? If this is his public stance, fine. But deep down, McCarthy had to know how important Rodgers was to this team. We say this because any casual observer sitting on his couch could make this observation. It’s hard to imagine a coach not knowing.
Rodgers is mobile, which helps a less than stellar offensive line. He’s not only a phenomenal passer, but has excellent touch on deep balls. Opponents have to respect that and play back, or risk getting burned deep. That makes the running game look better than it really is. He also sustains drives and keeps his team on the field. Green Bay’s defense is not great, but it doesn’t hurt the team when it’s on the bench. When Rodgers isn’t out there, drives aren’t being sustained and the defense is more exposed.
To a degree, this is McCarthy’s point. Rodgers is out and someone has to step up. The premise is fine. But in practice, it’s not remotely realistic — certainly not for the duration of the season.
