can you imagine this? Let's just, let's just look at,
you know, the next,
you know, the next say, two games because to me, if you go
into in the next two games, then you have your by
you, you've got to think very seriously. I don't know why you
wouldn't
about playing Jordan love,
because if you go four and nine
and you're coming off your bye.
What better time is there
to basically say, Okay,
Jordan love, let's see what you got. Let's see what we're going
to do this offseason.
That is the kind of organization that the Packers
have been
a Continuum. This is not a team, like the rims that is all
in for one season. You know, Brian gudykunst, showed that at
the trading deadline this year,
he was unwilling to stretch
and pay 120. It's on the dollar
for a Chase Claypool or whoever Darren wall or whatever.
And, and so, this is a team
that is out to see what they have in 20, 24, 25, and Beyond.
They used a first-round pick on Jordan. Love,
if they go to 4 and 8, you've got to start thinking about it
and then how weirdly ironic
That the ninth loss could come in Soldier Field at the home of
the team that has been so passive in the team that
the Packers have tormented for so many years, you know.
Basically, since Papa Bear Halas almost has left
the sidelines, you know, and I'm
exaggerating because obviously didga, you know, had the great
Super Bowl running 85, but I'm saying that it's been a long
time since the Chicago Bears As can do something to put a nail
in,
you know, their Arch Rivals,
but Mike right after they're at Philadelphia at Chicago,
if they lose both those games, and then have the by you tell
me, what good does it do in your last four games to keep
throwing Aaron Rodgers out there?
We're on the same page again on that point, I mentioned this
last night in the item that I wrote based upon that press
conference. He gave after the game at some point,
the decision has to be made to put him on injured.
Reserve
easy cover, he's not being benched, this thumb isn't
getting any better, he's having a hard time gripping
the football, we're putting him on injured. Reserve, and Jordan
love is going to play.
That's how
this arguable goats career, could end with a whimper and
hardly a bang. If he doesn't play next year,
but Peter, can you imagine?
How certain Folks at 3:45 Park Avenue,
would feel about that Prospect when coming out of the by,
there's a Monday night, Standalone primetime, game at
Lambeau Field against the Rams, a Christmas Day
Standalone, visit to the Miami Dolphins. And then
a New Year's Day
late afternoon.
425 Eastern visit from the Vikings to Lambeau Field and
they Flex those games out all the time of that.
425 window but given how the Vikings are playing this year.
Depending upon what they may be playing for at that point, this
is one that may stay put not because of the Packers but
because of the team that's coming into play the pack or
so. There's
three straight weeks of high-profile games
for Green Bay
and there may be a few phone calls made about this whole,
what's this? I hear about Aaron Rodgers, possibly going on
injured reserve, so you can see what Jordan love has
and the other thing to Peter
until your mathematically eliminated.
And see that's the thing for and 849 if they lose at Soldier
Field, practical matter done,
mathematically probably not done
and and that's really the question that I see. Would they
make that decision to put Jordan love out there as a pre
pre season 2023
unless and until
they are put in that category of teams that have been
officially eliminated, that's going to be a tough call.
But Mike, I might ask you this question.
Let's say you love the Green Bay Packers, you live in Tacoma
Washington, you know, you live in
whatever
Burlington Vermont
you love the Packers. I have a question for you.
Those big high-profile games.
Would you rather see Aaron Rodgers playing out the string?
Or would you rather see hey let's see what we got in Jordan
love
this. I'm going to love the Packers next year. Whether
they,
whether Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback or Jordan love or
Joe doakes, you know?
And and we've had this guy on our bench forever.
Can we please see what we have?
And Mike, just remember one thing.
When the Green Bay Packers decided to move on from Brett Favre
in July of 2008.
And then Aaron Rodgers played that first season. I think
everybody,
I'm not saying they forget this,
but I think everybody,
you know, puts in a distant rearview mirror.
He struggled in 2008, he did not have a great year,
he showed promise,
but he struggled
and that's why. To me. And I'm not saying
that Jordan love is going to do what Aaron Rodgers, did either
short or long term. I'm just saying,
if you thought enough of him
to pick him, so high that you wanted to trade up to get him
in the first round if you thought enough of them,
okay, at some point you have to let him
try to play or let him play
before he moves on.
And to me
it would be the height of
I don't want to say stupidity that it's the wrong word. But
I mean
it's not what the Green Bay Packers are
the Green Bay Packers. The height of short about 20, 25,
26 27, they always do that.
Brian gudykunst is the perfect general manager for that. He's
just exactly what Ted Thompson was.
And to think that they wouldn't play Jordan love down
the Stretch
is mind-boggling to me. I would not understand it at all.
Yeah, it would be the height of shortsightedness
to stick with Aaron rocks the other diet, where they know, as
a practical matter. The fork is in them. Even if they're not
mathematically eliminated, they're smart enough to
realize.
This isn't going to magically get better and that's something
Aaron. Rodgers was saying last night, we showed against
the Cowboys that when we play to our potential, we can win. So
if we played our potential, we can win. Each of the next six
games, he said that last night.
The problem is in the professional.
World of football,
every team is trying to play to its potential
and the more that one team succeeds, the more the other
team necessarily fails. So they ran into a team where their
formula worked on Sunday. They ran into a team on Thursday
night where their formula didn't work because the Titans
put the clamps on the running game and
if the Packers can't run
the Packers, can't throw
the Packers. Can't win.
So
6 and 0. I'd be stunned. How can you have any real
confidence? That a team that went 4 and 7 is suddenly going
to run the table? Now, I know it's not unprecedented Sims.
And I were talking about this yesterday
when RG3 was a rookie in
2012, they were three and six and they rattled off seven in
a row to finish the season. It could happen crazier, things
have happened this month
but it
it's kind of hard.
To hear the confidence bordering on delusion bordering
on hubris that when you're four and seven for the first time
since 2006,
we're just going to show up and win six in a row. They could
I'm not saying they can't. But at some point Peter,
the clock is ticking toward acknowledging reality
and realizing the schedule makers. Honestly mine.
The schedule makers have done the Packers, a great favor,
you know, Howard Katz & Company the NFL office, you know why?
Because the first game is against Philadelphia in
Philadelphia.
So, if you're, if you really want to know where you are, if,
if the Packers think, Hey, listen, when we play to our
potential, we can beat anybody. Okay?
This right now is
I think of one of the two or three
toughest assignments
in the NFL,
Late, November, 20 22, you know, one of the toughest
assignments is
you win at the link in prime time.
That's, there's no other way to say it.
So if they do win, then
the whole,
you know, the whole landscape has changed, changed
drastically,
but I think you're like me. I don't see it happening, but,
hey, they've got a chance. Let's see if they can do it.
Gonna be even harder to go into the Lincoln win in Prime Time
when the Eagles just lost at the Lincoln prime time. Yeah,
a few days ago, they're going to be on full alert and they're
going to relish the opportunity to be the ones
that drive the stake Into the Heart of the Green Bay Packers.
And
if you're one of these teams, it's having a great year in
the NFC, you don't want Aaron Rodgers hanging around
the playoffs. You don't want Aaron
Rodgers and you don't want Tom, Tom, Brady, hanging around
the postseason because that's the kind of team that can
that can catch fire under the leadership of a guy who's been
there and done that over and over and over again. And
I think the Eagles will
be particularly motivated
to knock out as a practical matter.
The Green Bay Packers, Matt Casey are coordinating producer
raises a great point. We were talking about 2006 how bad they
were. They were four and seven that year Favre was horrible
that year
and he didn't decide
to to call it a day.
He came back for one more year in Green Bay and he was pretty
damn good in 2007. And I wonder if that historical reality will
be a factor
for Aaron Rodgers. Hey, I saw Brett to it, bread had a crappy
year in 2006. He came back in 2007 and they were great. They
got to the brink of the Super Bowl.
And Rogers had a front-row seat for it. That may be a factor,
you know, it may have been, he entered this season and he said
that
made-for-tv golf thing
that he did with Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes and Josh
Allen. He was asked at some point that we do you think
about retirement. He said all the time,
he claimed in 2021, he was 50/50 on retiring the weekend before
training camp opened
You just,
you know, you got me. Wondering now, does this season go so
badly for Aaron Rodgers, that he decides? I'm going to come
back for one more and I'm going to do it right. This time
I think with a guy like Aaron Rodgers, he has to decide on
his own that he needs to be all in, all off season long
therefore the offseason program, you can't tell him.
I told you so he's got to tell himself.
Yeah, maybe I should do this differently if I'm back for one
more year maybe I should gather my guys somewhere where we just
work out on her own
so you know Christian Watson. Hey Chris Watson, five touchdowns
this week.
Where's he been all year? Well, maybe he was a little freaked
out by Aaron. Rodgers didn't feel comfortable with this
mythical being that. He grew up literally grew up
from the time. He was
five years old watching
and he's nervous around him. Yeah, doesn't screw up.
Took a while to get to the point where he's comfortable now,
looks pretty comfortable to me.
Wouldn't that have been nice if it had been that comfortable
week? One, when he was wide-ass open, running down the right
sideline after the Vikings went up, 7, nothing, and he drops
the ball. If he catches that past, maybe the whole season is
different for the Packers who know. So
I think if he's gonna come back Peter to make
your point earlier, which I think is
very accurate. The Packers may expect more. I think the key
is, he's got to expect more from himself if he wants next
year to be different than this year.
yeah, and I think it's a great Point Mike, whether it's coming
to Green Bay for five weeks that you weren't in Green Bay
last year for those five weeks or whether you bring everybody
to, you know, Rancho Mirage, California or
something, you know what, you bring everybody to California
for eight or nine days, and you work out there, I just think
there's He's got to be a different level of commitment.
I would want that. If I were the Packers,
I would want a different level of commitment from Aaron
Rodgers this year. And again, I'll say this. I said it
a couple of weeks ago when we talked about it and you were
adamant that he had to have been in the offseason program.
It's his right as a player.
Any player can say I'm not going to do that.
I'm not coming to a non-mandatory
practice in the offseason.
Period.
And if he says that then the Packers may have a decision to
make. But I think it shouldn't come to that,
it should come to he and Matt and and Matt LaFleur
having a conversation on January 10th,
before everybody goes their separate ways
and having a conversation and saying.
Okay
you know, we now are in the fire drill stage of our careers
right here because look Matt LaFleur, it's not like Matt
LaFleur is getting fired after this year. It's almost
certainly not like he's getting fired after next year,
but you know, you can't have three,
you know, for and 13 seasons in a row
in the NFL, you just can't do it.
So, all I'm saying is that I think after this season, there
needs to be a very Frank conversation
between the leader of the Green Bay. Packers
off the field, in the leader of the Green Bay Packers on
the field.
And Peter, I'm a firm believer that in early 2008, Mike
McCarthy and Ted Thompson. Wanted a decision from Brett
Favre. A commitment from Brett Favre. At a time. When they
knew
if they told him
we want yes or no. Right. Now
they knew what the answer was going to be.
Then it was going to be no.
And I'm with you on this. They need to say
to Aaron Rodgers
ASAP.
After this season ends,
if you're going to come back for this year, we need to know
it now.
And we need to know that you're truly all in and you need to
make that commitment to us and yourself.
Now otherwise this train has to keep a rolling down the tracks
and he may not like that but
you know it's one thing to tiptoe around the delicate
genius. When the delicate genius is doing delicate,
genius things, when all of a sudden he's not getting it
done. They're not.
To hesitate to tell it like it is like they told it like it
was the night. They traded up in round one without even
letting him know ahead of time
to take. Jordan love
his eventual replacement and eventual. Maybe coming, let's
hear a little bit from Matt LaFleur just to get a Vibe as
to where he is. Because this is a guy who lost
10 regular season games
in three seasons combined.
He's looking at losing that many this year alone. Here he is
on the latest loss,
and where the TEAM stands?
Race for the playoffs.
Obviously, extremely disappointed right now
to put on a performance like that.
I just, I don't even know what to say there was.
It was
nothing like a few days ago and that's why you're only as good
as your last game
we're not in a very good position right now. That's for sure.
Like I told the guys like
there's there's no margin for error
period and it's not Like I know we got a really tough team
coming up
in Philly. So
we're going to get back to work on Monday and
try to make some of these Corrections because we just
said, it's disappointing. When you have
Whether it's a coverage, bust defensively, whether it's
protection bus and or,
you know, any any type of mistake in regards to
the mental errors, that's extremely disappointing, especially where
we're at in the season.
And we're not, I mean, quite frankly,
even when we are all on the same page we're not executing
to the level that we need to. And
that's why, you know, we're sitting here freaking four and
seven.
Metal floor was very emotional in the locker room on Sunday
after they beat the Cowboys. It really felt like they had
turned a corner. It felt like the light had gone on and there
were plenty of mistakes last night. He says there's no
margin for error after they made error after error, after
are on
both sides of the ball in All Phases,
last night, to lose that game. So again,
you can button yourself up as much as you want but there's
always an opponent on the field who is trying to do the exact
opposite. And this year
11 tries As 7 times the Packers haven't been able to impose
their will.
They've had the other teams will imposed upon them and it
could chat. Like I said, I'm not I'm not saying get
the shovel out and start throwing dirt
but at least have an idea where the shovel is because we're
getting close to the time
where you go, get the shovel and you declare the 2022
Packers over and done.
hit, subscribe for the latest news and Analysis from pro
football talk.