It’s been a while since we got a passive-aggressive shot from Aaron Rodgers directed at his coaches, but we got one on Sunday.
Sunday was definitely not fun day for Rodgers and the Steelers, as the Patriots drilled the future Hall of Famer with punishing hits and otherwise dominated Pittsburgh en route to a 20-3 win.
After the game, Rodgers insisted the Steelers could not make excuses for their listless performance. But, as he would show, that didn’t mean some blame couldn’t be assigned.
“Can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Can’t point fingers. We’ve all got to play better,” he noted. “I think we can all give a little more. The best teams are player-led teams. We’ve got to keep taking the ownership. In a game like today, where there wasn’t a lot of flow to it, we need to be better, and that starts with me making sure Mike knows what’s working, what’s not working, and our coaches know, so we can call stuff that we feel like has a better chance.
Rodgers went on to say the play-calling wasn’t necessarily wrong, but the overall game plan was too much.
“It’s not that big of a sample size, but I thought we didn’t execute very well at all,” he told reporters. “The plays were fine. We had opportunities, and we’ve got to dig into the details on some of this stuff. If there’s too much stuff in the plan, we’ve got to cut it back. I always like to push the envelope. If I see guys doing it the right way in practice, then I feel good about it, but we’ve got to practice the practice to the game, obviously, and all the details that come with it.”
The statement that he needs to do a better job of correcting or instructing coaches marks an abrupt departure from his days under former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, where Rodgers never, at least publicly, suggested that the coaches or the overall game plan needed correction.
Rodgers and Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy won a Super Bowl together with the Packers. Still, their time in Green Bay ended amid friction, fueled by rumors that Rodgers orchestrated McCarthy’s ouster to bring in Matt LaFleur.
Those rumors were never substantiated, and both said the past was behind them when they reunited in Pittsburgh.
It’s only Week 2, and that vow to work together already seems to be getting tested.