Totally agree.

Give Love the reps while the new and year 2 guys work on getting their route responsibilities down. There were no voluntary camps in the Lombardi era.

When TC starts for real, Aaron Rodgers will be there, and the new players will be more ready, with fewer distractions, and likely, more confidence.

I’m pretty sure this was the exact intent in having voluntary minicamps.

Would I prefer Aaron Rodgers was there? Maybe. Maybe not…. AW, HELL YES! I wish he wanted to be there, and that no one could possibly keep him away…

I expect less of him now after all these revealing years. That’s my self preservation mechanism.

As a fan, one who was about as all-in with him as I could have been, despite my doubts, I was completely crushed and bewildered that draft Day 1 2021… 13 months ago. I’ve never recovered.

AR as QB1 causes one to constantly search out positives on the flip side of a coin. Personally, I’d rather not have to deal with all this garbage and let Love take over. He throws a better deep ball, and he’d be more compliant with scheme intentions. I have zero problems admitting that.

Knowing AR, and his inability to remember his own days of learning and really crappy play, yeah, I get this.

I guess any good fan of the Packers would want him to be there, wanting to be there... helping the rookies get acclimated, and all that good stuff. It's OK. We'll be fine. There's too much talent there. Let them get up to speed with Love slinging it.

Possibly the most poignant sentence in KL's article is the last one:
- "He and his team certainly weren’t ready for week one last season."
This sentence brought back the stink of LY's opening day debacle. Now I have to go from supremely confident back to my therapist to re-erase that smell from my memory.
If ar's attendence adds to team preparation for week one, I say it should be mandatory. No excuses can be accepted in 2022. GPG!

agreed, these young WR need to understand that there are high expectations for them to compete and thrive at a high level. If these newbies can't handle the expectations and pressure, how are they going to do it on game day? Maybe the other teams and the GB defense will give them do-overs. Handling pressure, competing and dealing with high expectations are mandatory to the success of every NFL player. Anything GB can do to get them ready IMO is vital.

Certainly not a leader in the sense that you and I have expected going back to the Lombardi years. It is what it is I guess. I would love to see him come to camp with a vengeance one year.

The employer also tied virtually no contract money to workout bonuses...so the employer essentially says, "do what you want, we're OK with it either way."

If Rodgers doesnt want to come to OTA'S, ok whatever. But I dont want to hear him talk about a lack of trust in his receivers EVER again when he's not doing everything in his power to help them grow into the players he expects them to be. He wanted more say and control over things. Well what is the team getting from him in return? Seems like a one-way street to me.

Such a totally awesome and true post NP!

apologist.

anybody with a pulse KNOWS that there would be advantages to AR showing up. Is it absolutely essential? Probably not, but... could it conceivably help? Yes.

Supposedly there are no points of contention between AR and the team right now. The GBP made him the highest paid player in NFL history - AGAIN - and yet there are those who give AR a pass when true leadership moves, like showing up when the team gathers, are ignored.

Please, let Jordan Love blossom this year, it just cannot happen soon enough.

Thank you for a sane take on this. I really think most of the whining is by fans upset at the loss during the playoffs. #12 coming for voluntary mini-camp is not going to change the outcome of the playoffs last year or this year.

That all sounds about right. While I would like to see Rodgers there, and I'm sure most other fans would too, this is pretty far down on my list of things to worry about.

I disagree. If Rodgers is that much of an ogre, then that’s a chilling indictment of him and the team culture. Instead he should be working to get his new colleagues comfortable around him. I don’t care if he never throws a ball, just be there and offer tips and break the ice. I wonder how many of those excusing this would if it were any other player or team.

Very well said PEO!

Rodgers does not need to be at the voluntary OTA camp. He does not need to refine his QB skills and knowledge of the offense.

Rodgers does need to be at training camp the sooner the better for the team. He does need to be with his new team-mates and the coaches for that matter. If Rodgers is indeed the face of the Packers, leadership and the respect of his team-mates, he has to show up. If this drags on like last year, we will not be ready for the Vikings week one. If Rodgers remains the deva that he is, the team concept gets thrown out the window.

Tom Clemons can't make waves, especially with Rodgers. Clemons has to say Rodgers does not need the reps. Rodgers listened to Tom as a young vet. Now Rodgers is "set in his ways". Rodgers thinks of Clemons as his good ole buddy who he likes and was probably "advised" to be the new QB coach hire this year. If Lafleur has to tip toe around both Rodgers & Clemons on offensive game plans, it could get ugly. IMO Clemons must set rules & expectations for the QB position and enforce the will of the Packers, no matter how Rodgers wants to improvise the game plan. If Clemons caves, I see Jordan Love getting more reps this year in the regular season. I think LaFleur has seen enough of Rodgers change of plays at the line of scrimmage.

If the chemistry is not there between QB-WR, QB- offensive play caller, or head coach-non QB coach, a change will be required. Unfortunately, Rodgers is still the deva he has shown in the past. Rodgers stated in April he could not wait to work with his new team-mates. We will be waiting for that "right" moment for a while until the deva arrives in camp.

On the bright side Love can take control of his future with the Packers. I stated earlier in my posts, Love will love this draft class of WR's & O-linemen. He can now start the bond with his new team-mates which should last for years. All good things must end. Rodgers has been the best regular season QB in Packers history. Unfortunately, his ego & selfishness has kept him out of the GOAT considerations. Sometimes having all that money, TV commercials, the MVP awards, and the winning regular seasons, still cannot gain the respect for the person who still does not know that there is no " I " in team.

PB: You and I were posting at the same time and said many of the same things about this mess. I can't agree more with your comment about the foul taste this leaves in my mouth about AR and his lack of leadership. I will always root for the Packers, but I can't wait until the Rodgers era is over. He is making it hard to be a Packer fan.

I just think this take is ridiculous. These OTA are VOLUNTARY. If you demand any player be there to fulfill their "leadership" and earn their salary, then it is not voluntary. If the league wanted these to be required, they could have bargained for that. He knows the offense. This time of year is about installs and the young players learning the offense. Rodgers knows the offense and he'll get plenty of time with them during training camp and the MANDATORY mini-camp. To dis his leadership after watching him win the league MVP after zero off season activities with the team, and a relationship crisis with the front office is unsupported. When Rodgers comes to town, he is ready and he comes to play. His leadership has not been in question and will not be in question b/c he is missing a voluntary install 17 or 18 years into his career.

It would be illegal if the GM or coaches held AR accountable. It would be akin to asking hourly workers to work while not clocked in.

The FO made it clear that AR's participation during the off-season was not important, er not expected, er not sure I know what word to use. As dobber noted, AR's workout bonus is one tenth of one percent of his annual compensation. That said, this FO puts in large workout bonuses, so that is not their normal operating procedure.

Again, I don't know. The first OTA is pretty basic, if my understanding is correct. Oh well, I never had any school spirit, either.

Remember, too, that last year, #12 skipped minicamp and was dogged by drama throughout the off-season all the way up until the day he reported--on time. Not so much the case this year, so he'll at least get minicamp with these guys, and not be spending his time wrangling over his media coverage.

In the end, you'd love to have him there, but in OTAs and most of minicamp, these are unpadded, non-contact run-throughs where guys are figuring out the playbook and starting to work through their pre-snap reads and adjustments. The on-field time means a lot more than who is throwing them the ball, and 12 should be getting a lot of the reps in minicamp.

I think Since'61 put it best the other day in another thread, that AR and MLF are more like contemporaries. That would jibe with what we're seeing here, Guam.

A lot of us have those "old school," traits tugging at our heart strings. That will that we all look for to run through walls and do anything at all that it might take to improve the team.

I'm not going to make too much of this, personally. The benefits might outweigh the negatives we all can readily point to. Fewer distractions, less pressure to get it all exactly right the first time. This will allow the new players, plus Amari Rodgers, to put some real work in on their routes and responsibilities, get some of the kinks worked out, prior to Aaron Rodgers' arrival.

Jordan Love will be building relationships with this new crew from Day 1. The reviews should be pretty fun to read/hear after these voluntary sessions.

And, who knows? Maybe Rodgers makes an appearance...

"Publicly calling out Rodgers for lack of leadership would ignite a huge controversy"

One way or the other, management has hitched their wagon to 12 fully knowing that (by limiting his workout bonuses in his contract) he would likely be passing on the voluntary activities. As a coach, what else can you say?

I am guessing it is highly illegal to work behind the scenes to "get Rodgers to come," since there is a collective bargaining agreement making this time voluntary for players.

I don't know who decided diva was the nasty code word for a PRO who has already done it all and won 2 MVPs in a row. But it is certainly not diva like to know show up when it isn't required. He sure seems to like his teammates and vice versa. He was pulling for MVS and EQ and Tonyan and anybody else willing to put in the work to be prepared when their number is called. He will certainly be prepared.

Ha! murff! Well put.

This is it. Has anybody actually considered that Rodgers, LaFleur, Gutekunst, etc. actually discussed this and came to an agreement that he didn't need to be here for this?

Lol and people wonder why he falls apart in the biggest playoff moments. He's a mental midget. Doing the right thing is the last thing on his mind. It's all about him all the time.

Being here doesn’t mean Love shouldn’t get the majority of the work. It’s the being here that is significant not the number of throws or even actually throwing.

Duplicate

LH
He isn't needed on the field during OTA's. He is needed to be present and sow leadership and connect with both the young players and veteran players alike.

Good point SaltandPep, I didn't let that sink in until later...

Of course it's plausible. It's probably the way it happened.

When you are in charge of a team, you work WITH your key people. That's how the team has success. The old days of "My way or the Highway" have given way to "Let's work together", and it's an improvement, IMO.

I'm pretty certain that Rodgers, LaFleur, Gutekunst, Murphy, etc. discussed this and arrived at a mutually agreeable plan.....that didn't involve Rodgers being here for these OTAs.

This post censored by the Department of Redundancy Department.

As I mentioned in a post several months ago, I am convinced that the Clements hire is more for Love than Rodgers.

Were they bitching the same way about the embezzler never showing for OTAs during his Graduate Level years? Not Hardly. Get them into the Playbook. Find out who is capable and willing to Learn. Some of these guys have not gotten past page ten in a 500 leaf tome during four years on the job. Rodgers will show in June and then July and August to fill in the blanks. Like any solid group, there were multiple Leaders on the Lombardi teams. No one challenged your avatar. In many ways he set the tone along with Gregg.

Excellent '61

Since,
Thanks for the walk back in time.

Tough crowd.

The British comedian Jimmy Carr writes 1,000 jokes for his new routines which he whittles them down to 250 for the last show that does on a DVD or netflix.

Of course, some of the 750 jokes he chucks don't absolutely bomb! 😁

Wow, LambeauPlain, this seems to me a great comment!

Great post and I agree.

But to be real...he has 50 million reasons not to give a sh*t about his look. Such is the reality of the life of a diva NFL QB. Remember Favre and his private dressing room when he was with the Jets? They're way past being "one of the guys" anymore.

I dont think he has anyone giving him advice or anyone to hold him accountable and thats the problem. Back in 2010, there were many veterans he had to be accountable to. Guys like Woodson, Clifton, Driver, Hawk, Jenkins, etc. immediately come to mind. Now the only vets who might be in a position to hold him accountable are his buddies and the coach is his biggest cheerleader. Its like Scottie Pippen without MJ. Growing up a Bulls fan, I'll never forget the time during Jordan's brief retirement when Pippen refused to go on the court for a last second play in a playoff game because the coach drew up that play for someone else to take the shot. If Pippen ever tried some garbage like that with Jordan around, Jordan would've broke his foot off in Pippen's ass. Rodgers is Scottie Pippen without a Jordan. As long as he's given free reign without any consequences, we shouldnt waste our time hoping for him to behave any differently.

LambeauPlain, this is fantastic.

I couldn’t agree more, really. If I’m a player who has won 4 MVPs, two in a row, but couldn’t lead my team, good teams all to advance to the Super Bowl, much less win another, 3 years in a row… and part of those defeats hinged on offensive ineptitude that I was charged with leading on the field as QB1, I’d have been in town weeks ago, at every opportunity.

Especially after getting a raise, and everything I wanted from the Packers front office.

I’d be working non stop to win another ring or 3. Doing everything I could as leader of this team to set the tone, and be a dedicated teammate.

At the same time, Jordan Love will benefit from his absence, getting more reps with a boatload of new talented players to throw to. He’s got the cannon too for the Deep Targets.

Damn, I can’t wait to see that.

All the JL trade talk seems crazy to me, as he’s the chosen successor, and one hell of a backup in his Year 3. No way I’d entertain that idea. I think we’ll see this front office knew what they were doing when they drafted Love, very soon.

Lambeau,
So in agreement!

I dont think many are worried about how this team looks early or midseason. Most, if not all of us, are worried about how this team, and its $50 million quarterback especially, will look come playoff time. If they fall short yet again, many will undoubtedly think back to missed opportunities like this and wonder if it could've made a difference had he showed up and put in the extra work with the offense.

Moo,
Everyone's focus is on how Rodgers performs but maybe more focus should be whether the rookies and first year guys just maybe could have performed a little better with AR participating.

Now I am just kidding and I need a life, but selfishly this is therapeutic for me (now, I am being selfish, sorry). He probably dons the bun to make sure not a single hair gets in the way of his eyes to see himself in the mirror. Okay, I will do my best not to throw any more shade (even green/gold) #12s way.

I am better than this....but, baby steps for me I guess.

There is an example of a QB that wants to win Championships and what he does and an example of one who wants to win MVP's. I'll take Brady's style all day long. If you take over 50 Mill a year from the " TEAM " that helped get you the $$$$ and the MVP and a voice in the decision making. Maybe....just Maybe you try and put your best TEAM foot forward and do everything in your power to WIN a Championship. Yes, I do wish our QB desired to win enough to take the boys under his wing in the offseason and get them all up to speed...love on them...share a few brewskis and get some work in and at least start the page they need to get on.

It's amazing how many "fans" hate their team.

Murphy's a bum. Gutekunst doesn't know what he's doing. LaFleur isn't a very good coach. Our DL sucks Our WRs are garbage. Our defense is pathetic.

I've read every single one of these comments, in a variety of different wordings. You could go to a Purple fan site and not read nearly as much negative trash about the Packers.

XXXXXXXXXX

The angst over Rodgers is so unnecessary. He's either going to play great, or it'll be his last year here. He's hung on for the last two years because he's been the freakin' MVP. When he stops playing like that, the Packers will have to consider a change to a former #1 pick that they've been working with for years. Maybe this year will be the year.

Does anybody remember Payton Manning's last season? Right out of the box, he didn't look very good at all. Then he got hurt and Osweiler took over and the defense played great, then Manning came back and still didn't play particularly well.

Remember what Roethlisberger looked like last year in the game with the Steelers? This site was full of comments about how old and finished he looked. Dan Marino lost it overnight. Rodgers isn't going to be the MVP forever, and when he's not, somebody else will be our QB. This could easily be his last year here.

Amazing how many Americans hate their country too... SMH