Packers exposed without Aaron Rodgers
The Green Bay Packers didn’t have a good roster coming into this season. Some would argue, including yours truly, that the Packers haven’t had a good roster for years, only to be covered up by Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers, a two-time MVP and Super Bowl champion, is arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever grace the NFL. He. has been otherworldly for the Packers. However, since breaking his collarbone back in Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay has been a disaster.
After losing to the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Packers promptly dropped games to the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field, taking them from 4-1 to 4-4 in a heartbeat. All of this is indisputable evidence that without Rodgers, Green Bay isn’t a decent team, it is a laughable one.
General manager Ted Thompson has stayed away from free agency more than any other front office in the NFL over his tenure, dabbling rarely and never with high-profile moves. This offseason saw the signings of Martellus Bennett and Lance Kendricks, which for a regular team would be nothing, but for the Packers drew shocked responses.
Still, Thompson has not done near enough to help Rodgers, or prepare to survive his loss. Nobody could reasonably expect Green Bay to be the same team without one of the best players in this generation, but to go completely in the tank is unacceptable.
With Rodgers on the shelf at least into December, the Packers have turned to Brett Hundley. The results have been ugly, with the former UCLA star throwing for 489 yards in four games this year with one touchdown and four interceptions. On Tuesday, head coach Mike McCarthy tried to suggest that Hundley wasn’t the problem, which is only partially true. Per NFL.com:
“I have great faith in Brett Hundley. Brett Hundley is not our issue right now,” McCarthy said via the team’s official website. “There’s some very lopsided statistics. Look close at those. They told the story.”
McCarthy has to know Hundley is part of the issue, but the overall lack of talent across the roster — especially defensively — is the biggest problem. The Packers can’t stop the pass, something that is indefensible considering when Rodgers is playing, Green Bay is typically in the lead. Factor in that the NFLis more a passing league now than ever before, and Thompson has to be held accountable here.
Additionally, the Packers haven’t done enough in terms of scheming. Dom Capers has been abysmal in his role as defensive coordinator, while McCarthy continues to run a conservative offense, regardless of the quarterback.
Rodgers has covered up all these flaws for years. Without out, the Packers are open and exposed, for all the league to see.
