The Green Bay Packers Have “Rich White Guy Problems”

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The next time Adam Carolla goes on one of his rants about “rich white guy problems,” he should find a way to work in the Green Bay Packers.

Carolla is a former carpenter and boxing coach who entered the world of mass media. His resume includes co-hosting the popular radio show Loveline, various movie and TV credits, and creating a massively popular podcast.

Carolla’s podcasts are filled with over-the-top rants and observations about politics, marriage, race and sports. One of Carolla’s more amusing rants revolves around “problems” that only he and other “rich white guys” have. Examples include having to watch a 42-inch plasma TV while the 65-inch TV gets fixed, being inconvenienced by the family maid as she cleans the mansion and deciding which $1,000 bottle of vodka to buy in the VIP room at the club.

Folks, the Packers also have rich white guy problems.

The problems don’t have anything to do with being white, but have everything to do with being rich. Only a guy who has more money than he knows what to do with gets annoyed at the in-home maid who asks you to lift your feet while she vacuums the carpet.

Only a football team as stacked as the Packers can have a veteran CB call one half of the team a “liability” when they’re 8-0. And only a fanbase as spoiled as the Packers’ faithful can get so worried about their undefeated team.

Yes, the pass defense breaks down too often.

Yes, Aaron Rodgers sometimes holds the ball too long.

Yes, the pass rush disappears for long stretches.

These are all rich white guy problems. Every single one of them.

If you’re going to blame the Packers for giving up too many passing yards, you need to credit them for forcing so many turnovers.

If you’re going to blame Rodgers for holding the ball, you need to credit him for erasing sacks through big plays.

If you’re going to get upset when the opposing QB has too much time to throw, well…..the lack of a pass rush might be more than just a rich white guy problem. But even so, I think the odds are good that Dom Capers, Clay Matthews and BJ Raji figure something out.

Now about the fanbase. I don’t like it when people take to Twitter or blogs to scold Packers fans about being too negative. It’s good to have high standards, and sometimes high standards result in unreasonable criticism. But there was some silliness going on Sunday.

People, the Packers are 8-0. That means they’re undefeated. What they’ve done through these first eight games is amazing. Enjoy it. Who knows if we’ll ever see something like it again.

While you’re enjoying it, quit thinking about the Super Bowl. Hell, quit thinking about the playoffs. We’re only halfway through the season. To sit there and bitch and moan about the defense not being good enough to stop an elite QB in the Super Bowl or in the NFC Championship is a rich white guy problem.

How many fanbases in the history of the NFL have sat on their couch midway through the season and gotten all worked up that their defense might not be good enough to stop an opposing QB in the Super Bowl?

The answer is one, just one fanbase. And that fanbase is us, the fans of the 2011 Green Bay Packers.

We’re the fat cat CEO sitting up high in his corner office, staring down at the other teams in the NFL that are trying to occupy Wall Street. We’re trying to decide if we want to add a seventh bathroom to our 25,000-square foot house while everyone else struggles to make their mortgage payment.

We are so freaking rich that we are already breaking down the Super Bowl matchup we expect to be involved in, and it’s not even Thanksgiving.

If the current attitude of the Packers fanbase isn’t the very definition of rich white guy problems, I don’t know what is.

The next time the Packers take the field, try to soak in what is happening here. And when something doesn’t go the Packers’ way, remember that it’s probably just a rich white guy problem. There are 31 other fanbases in the NFL that would love to trade places with you.

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Adam Czech is a a freelance sports reporter living in the Twin Cities and a proud supporter of American corn farmers. When not working, Adam is usually writing about, thinking about or worrying about the Packers. Follow Adam on Twitter. Twitter .

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28 thoughts on “The Green Bay Packers Have “Rich White Guy Problems”

  1. I’m sorry, I have to disagree. The defense is not a rich white guy problem. The defense is the elephant in the room and the offense has done everything they can to keep people from noticing it. The defense, through 8 games, is giving up an average of a touchdown more per game compared to last season. Why are we 8-0 then? The offense is scoring 10 points more per game this season. They are doing a good job hiding that elephant.

    The fan base knows it is a matter of time before the offense has an off-game. People know it is a matter of time when we’ll have a game where we don’t get a turnover. People see the yards pile up on the defense and can’t see how the Packers can win a game when the other half of the team doesn’t bring their A-game. It will happen. Will it result in a loss? An early exit from the playoffs? We’ll see.

  2. ???????? Satire? Too much to drink? Fans worry about their team and nothing less than perfection will do. That’s what we do – Worry.

    I prefer to discuss the issues that need attention not sit by with my head jammed up my butt making believe all is well in Packerville. The defense stinks (#31 yards – #23 scoring? somewhere in that area). The only thing they have done well is intercept the ball for 4 pick 6’s. If the defense doesn’t improve over the next 4 games, the season could turn in a very negative direction.

    I realize those of us who express a negative/realistic view are annoying to those of you who express a “Pollyannaish” view. That’s what makes this site fun to follow. En garde!

  3. Your point is well taken Adam, but I don’t think we put our head in the sand and ignore the obvious: without the best scoring offense in the NFL, this team would have lost the last 2 games and probably the first two of the season.

  4. Guys, perhaps I did a poor job of making my point in the original post, but I’m not saying that we should ignore anything. Rich White Guy problems are legit problems, but people need to relax a little.

    GreenTiger: Of course there’s going to be a game where the offense stubs its toe and the defense can’t get a turnover. It happens to every other team in the NFL on a fairly regular basis. For the Packers, we’re concerned about it happening for a game or two. Rich white guy problem.

    Ron: All is well in Packersville. We’re 8-0 and no team in the leagues comes close to matching the Packers talent level at the midway point of the season. And if a stinky defense means leading the league in picks, four pick 6s, and a couple of late defensive stands to preserve wins, I’ll take my chances with a smelly defense.

    Al: The best scoring offense in the NFL still can’t put a game away when given the opportunity. The defense still has to save the day late. And do we beat SD, MN or CAR without the turnovers forced by the defense?

    Obviously, the Packers aren’t perfect and that makes us mad. But if we’re just going to assume that the offense will regress and the turnovers will dry up, what’s wrong with assuming that our pro bowl talent and Super Bowl winning defensive coordinator will improve the defense?

    1. Adam, the best scoring offense wouldn’t have to be putting away games late if the defense were doing their job and not letting teams back in games they don’t belong in. Can we really depend on the offense to score EVERY time?

      1. The defense plays well with its back against the wall. Now they just have to figure out how to not get pinned against the wall.

  5. I get the point. Were 8-0 but very under performing defense. The offense has definitely clouded the fact that opposing teams are lighting it up against the Pack D. I still have faith in Capers and the crew getting it together.

    Here a thought – is it simply possible that the lack of camp time this summer has had more impact on the league’s defenses – thus our increased offensive production and poor defensive performance? And, if so, will this come into more balance in the 2nd half of the season? Or is that a stretch?

    1. I’d say it’s a lack of camp time, less tackling in practices, rules that favor offense, and receivers and TEs that are getting bigger, stronger and faster.

  6. Tend to agree with Adam. All teams have problems ours by comparison are minor.

    I do buy Ron’s argument that fans by their nature worry about their team-without that emotional involvement after all we are all just watching 40 guys we don’t know play football against 40 other guys we don’t know. One thing that does bug me though is the notion that you have to be negative to be realistic. Expecting absolute perfection on both sides of the ball is just as unrealistic as claiming all is well and all the Pack have to do to go 19-0 is show up (note I’m not accusing anyone on here of this just making a point). It is possible to be realistic and yet optimistic-it doesn’t make you a better fan but it likewise it doesn’t make you some sort of naive fool either !

    By all means fans should debate and argue and worry, hell it’s part of the fun but one thing sport (and life) has taught me is that you should enjoy a good thing while it lasts. The future has too many variables to predict and sport is so fickle that nothing should be taken for granted..

    One thing I will say, is that having watched the association football (sorry can’t bring myself to say soccer) club that I’ve followed since my dad took me to my first game aged 5 deliver yet another kick in the teeth to its long suffering fans in a recent history littered with under achievement, failure to take chances and chronic mismanagement on all levels I feel privilidged and happy to be a Packers fan and confident that the organisation is built for success Nothing that happens this season will change that..

    Hope that makes some kind of sense.

  7. Here’s what I think.

    Packers outscoring their opponents 50-10 in every game would be BORING, period. I’d probably rather see games like the last two games instead of one’s like we had against the Giants and Falcons last year.

    However, I would also like to see that the Packers CAN play a game like that if needed.

    I need to see our defense step up to the plate for at least ONE game, but we have yet to see that, and all it may take is one Packer to make a mistake (Randall Cobb almost did that for us in week 7), or for some team to have just one good day of really good day of offense to beat the Packers. And God willing, a day like that will happen in the regular season, and not in the playoffs.

    Adam, you’re absolutely right that the Packers are 8-0, and that we should enjoy that fact. It’s just we want to see that the Packers can keep that up, and so far, all evidence is to the contrary. The Packers don’t look like they can stop ANYBODY. And the worse part of that is that the Packers D is loaded with talent, so there’s a feeling that there’s simply no excuse for how the defense has been playing.

    1. I’m sorry but don’t see how ALL the evidence in 8 wins points away from the team being able to keep winning. Blunt fact if the Packers couldn’t stop anybody they aint 8-0. They stopped NO and SD with the game on the line. They stopped ATL for the best part of 3 quarters (incidentally in a game in which the offense couldn’t score a TD in the first half).

      I agree the defense is worse than you would want. I can see that asking the offense to play at the level it is playing is unrealistic. What I don’t understand is the point that Adam made that people seem to be discounting the possibility of any improvement in the defense.

      I would say the evidence of the 8 games so far shows that when the game is on the line the Packers have the ability to find a way to win whether that is through a 3rd quarter burst from the offense more rarelyor a pick or stop from the defense. That to me is a good sign. Doesn’t mean the Pack go all the way but they have as good a chance as anyone and better than most. IMO.

    2. I would say the evidence points to the Packers being more than able to keep their current pace. Going undefeated probably won’t happen, but we’re really talking about rich white guy problems if fans get upset over 13-3.

  8. Nice article Adam. Its a challenge to be happy, but not satisfied. I sure enjoy the wins, and pluck and resilience of the team. I too, hope to see some solid improvement on D and O. So….happy we are, but satisfied we aren’t.
    packet

  9. The Packer problem was well documented in last nights Oakland and SD game. Gates and Jackson shut down and Torell(?) was controlled at the LOS. GB made them look like All-Pros. Much like the Oline of two years ago, it could cost them dearly.

  10. Semi serious question to those who think the glass is half empty. If you could swap in any roster in the NFL do you think that would give the Packers a better chance of repeating ? Whole rosters mind no trying to keep Rodgers or asking for the Packers offense and the Ravens defense 🙂

    1. Those of us who lean towards the “Realist” side of the ledger are not askinhg to see the Raven D pop up out of no where. We are asking to see some measurable improvement week to week. I don’t think that is unresonable. No improvement has been demonstrated yet this year. Most of the wins have only been by one score.

      1. Adam…I agree with much of what you’ve written. However, isn’t this really just human nature? In essence, now that the team seems so dominant…absolute perfection in all phases has really become the goal, no? As just an unschooled observer; I’d have to say that the situation for Packer’s fans was well rendered by a pretty well-known fellow who observed: “Poor man wanna be rich, Rich man wanna be king…King ain’t satisfied until he owns ev’rything” 🙂 Here’s to an undefeated season followed by a couple of walk-away victories in the playoffs and then a blowout, no-contest drubbing of the AFC opponent in the big game 😀

      2. “Most of the wins have only been by one score.”

        Ron:

        That sentence sums up my point perfectly. Spoken like a true rich white guy:)

      3. Ron-reference to the Ravens D with the Packers O was made with tongue firmly in cheek 😉

        Point still stands though given that we agree the Packers team has flaws, though we disagree as to the extent is there a team in the NFL, offense defense special teams, that you consider better equipped to win the Super Bowl ?

  11. even rich white people need problems. packer fans who talk about the packers will talk about their strengths and weaknesses. defense is a weakness. i will worry about it if our defense isnt fixed by playoff time

  12. I don’t remember exactly what the Packers record was 12 months ago today. But I do know that I was unhappy with their play and I was probably screaming for TT’s and MM’s heads on a platter. We didn’t trade for a RB, Starks was still sidelined, and the offense instead of the defense was failing to put games away. While I have some serious concerns about the “D”, I gotta agree some of this IS indeed “rich white guy problems”, but it would be nice to see at least one decent game from the “D” soon.

  13. Come on, There’s nothing wrong with being concerned about the defence or talking about it. I totally agree a win is a win ,even by one point its awsome. But because the larger goal is to win the Superbowl , being concerned about a defence that looks soft and confused is justifiable. I do beleave the Packers have as good of a chance as any team to win the SB but I would feel a lot better about thier chances if the D was playing just a little bit better.

  14. Say what you will about Aaron Rodgers, he’ll be among the best quarterbacks hands down for a decade at a minimum. Practice and training is paramount to his success. post if you are curious.

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