Don't Be the Problem: Finding Middle Ground and Bringing a Title Back to Titletown | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Sports

Don't Be the Problem: Finding Middle Ground and Bringing a Title Back to Titletown

How will the pairing of Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur mold Green Bay?

200
Don't Be the Problem: Finding Middle Ground and Bringing a Title Back to Titletown
Instagram

These are uncertain times in Green Bay.

Any time a regime change happens in football, there is trepidation about how things are going to go. When you take that same environment and overlay it upon a community so invested in winning that its literal nickname is Titletown, the scrutiny applied to the situation is magnified hundredfold.

Such is the current case with the Packers. Victims to the first such changeover at the head coach position in nearly a decade and a half, the current roster knows the nature of uncertainty all too well. Just ask the multitude of veteran players who've been cut or shipped away from the Dairyland via trade.

Yet, amidst the chaos, nothing is more uncertain than the relationship between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and new head coach Matt LaFleur. And rightly so, given that it was the souring of a relationship between Rodgers and former coach Mike McCarthy that led to the regime change in the first place.

As has been well documented by the news media and my own Packers beat writing, McCarthy was fired this past season shortly after losing to the lowly Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals went on to achieve the worst record in football in 2018.

So, how did Green Bay get here? McCarthy's stale play-calling definitely contributed. But so did Rodgers' willingness to defy said play-calling, procuring his own brand of backyard ball.

The result was a scheme that was largely a dud and totally reliant on Aaron Rodgers' magic, which became especially problematic when nasty collarbone injuries kept him out for long stretches during the 2013 and 2017 seasons.

Now, cracks of that same defiance are beginning to peek through in the Rodgers-LaFleur marriage.

As NFL.com's Mike Silver expounds upon the situation, Rodgers and LaFleur are trying to get along. They're trying to find a happy medium between the system (drawn from the minds of LaFleur's friends Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVey, relying heavily on pre-snap movement) and the genius improvisational skills of the future Hall of Fame quarterback.

LaFleur: "…we've never really had a quarterback who's had complete freedom to change plays at the line, because that's not really the way the offense is set up. But, I mean, this is Aaron Rodgers."

Rodgers: "It's a conversation in progress. I don't think you want to ask me to turn off 11 years (of recognizing defenses)."

Full quotes and greater context can be found in Silver's piece linked above, but the message is clear: things are still a work in progress.

I have some hope this can be done, but can also sense palpable danger bubbling just below the surface.

After all, battle lines are already being drawn. The quarterback that had preceded Rodgers at the helm, Brett Favre, asserts that his successor need not do anything different.

"Aaron will be fine…The question is, how will they handle it with him?" Favre said.

And there's not shortage of folks in the punditry who have their doubts about how things are going to pan out under the new regime. Hell, this episode of First Take didn't even need Stephen A. Smith to reach a titanic crescendo about the legacy of Rodgers and the contending capability of his organization.

However, the silver lining provided by Silver is this: things are relatively rosy. LaFleur is willing to cede some ground and Rodgers is excited about the strides he and the team might make in a McVey-style offense. Rightfully so. The Rams made the Super Bowl this past February, as woeful as their final performance may've been.

Other players are excited as well, as Davante Adams expresses, "There's a lot of big play potential—a lot of things that are gonna scheme me to be open." This coming from a man who had 111 receptions, 1,386 receiving yards, and 13 touchdowns last year.

And yet, the (heavily disputed) words of Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy can't fall by the wayside: "Don't be the problem." Murphy was speaking of Rodgers. Having been on virtually every level during the contentious departure of McCarthy, he's seen how much trouble the quarterback has the potential to produce.

So, what's the bottom line? Well as of right now, uncertainty may be the name of the game, but the equation is also a simple one: don't be the problem, find that middle ground, and bring a title back to Titletown.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
girl with santa hat
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

'Tis the season to be jolly folks, and if you're anything like me, then at the stroke of midnight on Halloween your home went from wicked to winter

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

5 Things To Do That Are Better Than Writing A Paper

Don't waste your time trying to write that paper when there are so many more interesting things you could be doing.

11513
computer keyboard
Unsplash

Writing a paper is never fun and is rarely rewarding. The writer's block, the page requirement, be specific, but don’t summarize, make sure you fixed any grammatical errors, did you even use spellcheck? and analyze, analyze, analyze.

Papers can be a major pain. They take up so much time and effort that by the end of the process you hate yourself and you hate the professor for making life so difficult. Questions of your existence start roaming in your mind. Am I even cut out for college if I can’t write a single paper? Am I even capable of taking care of myself if I lack the energy to open my laptop and start typing?

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons Why Sisters Are The Best

Who could be a better friend than your own sister?

6934
sisters
Taylor Hooper

I can barely remember back when I was the only child. Most would say it’s because it is extremely difficult to remember things as a toddler but I would say it's because I was bored until my sister came along. My mother always says how important the "sister bond" is and with every year that passes I realize how right she is. Instead of writing a novel about all of the wonderful things there are about having a sister I decided to list a few of them instead.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

How To Adult

You're gonna make it after all.

6964
how to adult
Twitter

It is the time of our lives that we are beginning to enter the adult world and most of us, if not all of us, have no idea what we are doing. It's like starting a video game, but skipping the tutorial. We're all just running around aimlessly hoping we accidentally do something right that moves us along the right path. Now that graduation has just happened, or is right around the corner for some of us, it's time to start thinking about how we are going to take care of ourselves once we are on our own.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

7 Signs You're A Starbucks Addict

I'll be the first one to admit I'm addicted to Starbucks.

4469
drinking coffee
Tumblr

If you’re anything like me, you love a good cup of coffee. My coffee always comes from Starbucks; I refuse to drink it from anywhere else. Over the years, it’s become one of my biggest addictions. So, if you are aware that you’re a Starbucks addict as well, or maybe you need to check to see if you’re an addict, here are seven ways to tell.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments