Across the state and the nation, fans of the Green Bay Packers have expressed no shortage of frustration that their all-world quarterback hasn’t won more championships. Although Rodgers has hoisted the Lombardi trophy on one occasion, it’s often said that the team has “wasted” his tremendous talent.
However, the fact is that unlike quarterbacks such as Dan Marino or Matthew Stafford, Rodgers does have a Super Bowl win to show for his efforts. It would be much more appropriate to say that Miami “wasted” Marino or that Detroit “wasted” Stafford than it is to level such criticisms at Green Bay.
In fact, the Packers have routinely managed to surround Rodgers with a superior roster. Some critics contend that the Packers made an error in not using first round draft picks on wide receivers. But the narrative that Rodgers hasn’t had quality weapons is quite simply not true.
Although the Packers haven’t used first round picks on offensive weapons, they have used a large number of second round picks. Receivers such as Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, and Davante Adams were all second round picks. Ted Thompson also used the second of his two second round picks in the 2005 draft to select Terrence Murphy who unfortunately had to retire due to injury.
That the Packers haven’t used free agency on weapons for Rodgers is also untrue based on the signing of individuals such as Jimmy Graham, Marcedes Lewis, and Devin Funchess.
The whole narrative that Aaron Rodgers hasn’t had enough weapons has been created to answer the question of why he hasn’t won more championships. Based on his skill level alone, the expectation is that he should have achieved more success.
Perhaps a better explanation of why Rodgers is 1-4 in NFC Championship games can be deduced from the same psychology that has allowed him to hold out of training camp prior to the 2021 season.
Tom Brady sits at home with seven Super Bowl victories in ten appearances on two different teams. His most recent championship came despite throwing three interceptions against the Packers in the NFC Championship game.
Although many people would argue that Tom Brady does not have the physical talents of Aaron Rodgers, he nevertheless has set the bar for Super Bowl wins beyond what Rodgers can possibly achieve. Part of the reason why is that it would be unthinkable for Tom Brady to hold out from a team that had a reasonable chance at winning the Super Bowl.
Even if Rodgers returns to the Packers to play in 2021, his actions in the early part of the season will have hurt the chances of his team winning a championship this year. Despite the complaints of the media, the decision makers of the Green Bay Packers have significantly strengthened the roster in the off-season.
This is a team that has been knocking on the door for the last two years and which appears primed to finally break through. Yet Aaron Rodgers has chosen this year, of all years, to launch a protest.
The fact that Rodgers appears willing to sacrifice a strong chance at a championship for the sake of a person grudge reveals much about his psychology. Perhaps the fan base and the media need to stop making excuses for Rodgers and recognize that the reason he hasn’t won more than one Super Bowl is that, at the end of the day, it just doesn’t mean that much to him.
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