We’re midway through the week, giving us a few days worth of time to reflect back on the comments made by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers regarding the team’s 22-0 victory over the Buffalo Bills. There still is little clarity on whether a rift truly exists between him and head coach Mike McCarthy, but it’s certainly clear that Rodgers was frustrated by the team’s lack of success on offense recently.
Part of the problem on Sunday was Rodgers himself, however, as he missed a handful of throws that he would typically make. A 22-for-40 day is pretty poor by Rodgers’ standards, and represents his lowest completion percentage over a full game in about two years (since a 23-for-45 day against the Giants in 2016). Drops were certainly a factor again, but these may be two symptoms of a single cause.
That possible cause is Rodgers’ lack of practice time since injuring his knee in week one. Yes, Rodgers did practice on Thursday last week, but that was the first non-Saturday practice he has participated in over the past few weeks. With the team returning to the practice field today, hopefully Rodgers will be able to work on a Wednesday as well to help ensure that his chemistry with his receivers gets back on track.
Aaron Rodgers brings Green Bay Packers’ offensives issues to forefront - ESPN
Rodgers is a competitor, but with comments like “no flow to the game” and saying that Davante Adams didn’t get more targets because “it’s by the plan,” it’s clear that he’s unhappy about some of the offense’s overall direction.
How Packers can resolve Rodgers' dispute with McCarthy | Packersnews.com
Tom Silverstein makes the case that it's on Mark Murphy to bring Rodgers and McCarthy into his office to sit down, air out their differences, and move on. Agree or disagree?
First NFL start was ‘growing process’ for Marquez Valdes-Scantling | Packers.com
MVS had a few rookie mistakes -- most notably not coming back for the football on a near-interception -- but he flashed with his speed on a 38-yard go route and got valuable live reps all day on Sunday.
Patricia doesn't plan to increase RB Johnson's reps - NFL.com
Next Sunday's opponent, the Lions, are dealing with their own running back issues and like Mike McCarthy, Matt Patricia refuses to fully commit to his best back in the near future.
David Bakhtiari quietly putting together another All-Pro season | Packers Wire
We jut can't say enough about how great Bakhtiari is, particularly as a pass-blocker. This year, he's exceeding the level of play from the past two years that got him second-team All-Pro honors.
Zoo forced to use plastic penguins after nationwide shortage | Metro News
Telford Exotic Zoo in Shropshire just invested 60,000 pounds in a new penguin shelter, but because of an outbreak of avian malaria, there are no penguins in the UK to fill the space.