Normally I don’t care about off-the-field drama involving the Packers. I like talking and writing about football, not TMZ- or WWE-style storylines involving the Packers.
Unfortunately, Donald Driver decided to weigh in on the squabble between Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings and ended up piling onto the “Lets take shots at Rodgers’ leadership” bandwagon.
I don’t want to discuss what Driver (or Jennings) thinks of Rodgers’ leadership because I don’t care. I do want to address one thing Driver said because it was completely asinine. I’m all for players being honest and blunt in their comments — if you think Rodgers is a bad leader, fine, say so. But one thing Driver said wasn’t blunt, it was just dumb.
Once I’m done filleting Driver for the comment, I’ll go back to respecting him again. Everyone else should do the same. Driver’s a legend in Green Bay. Just ask him.
Driver on if Rodgers is a “me” guy:
We’ve always been in the room and we’ve always said that the quarterback is the one who needs to take the pressure off of everyone else. If a guy runs the wrong route, it’s easy for the quarterback to say, ‘Hey, I told him to run that route,’ than the guy to say, ‘Hey, I ran the wrong route.’ Sometimes you ask Aaron to take the pressure off those guys so we don’t look bad. He didn’t want to do that. He felt like if you did something bad, you do it. That’s the difference. You want that leadership. I think sometimes you may not feel like you got it.
Let’s say you’re a waitress. A group of four sits at one of your tables, orders drinks and food, and waits patiently for you to bring it out. Instead of bringing the group what they ordered, you drink all their drinks, eat all their food, and take a nap on the bathroom floor. When the group complains to the owner about what you did, the owner calls you and your manager into his office.
Is your manager a bad manager if he doesn’t take the fall and tell the owner that the only reason you ate all the customers’ food, drank their drinks and passed out in the bathroom is because he — as your manager, boss and leader — ordered you to do so?
Driver apparently thinks so. What Driver doesn’t understand is that leadership is not covering for someone’s lack of preparedness or stupid mistakes. Leadership is holding people accountable and doing everything you can to make sure they are as prepared as you are so they don’t make stupid mistakes.
If what Driver describes actually is good leadership, then I want Rodgers to remain a “bad” leader for the rest of his time with the Packers.
Now back to football…
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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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More from Woodson:
“I would say this: There’s been times throughout my career there when defensively we put a piss-poor product on the field, and we’ve been in games and won ballgames solely on the arm of Aaron Rodgers and the legs of Aaron Rodgers and what he’s been able to do throwing a ball to a Greg, a Donald, a Jermichael. A couple years ago, we were 15-1, and if we have any other quarterback other than Aaron Rodgers, we’re 7-9.”
“What do you want the guy do to? He’s done everything he possibly can to keep everyone happy when guys want the ball for themselves. The way he’s been able to do it is incredible. Don’t get me started on the Super Bowl run. I mean, how brilliant was that guy during that run? There was no question about his leadership then.”
“I think whatever you do – if you run the wrong route and you’re a receiver, or if you’re a quarterback and you throw an interception – it’s up to you as an individual to say you messed up,” Woodson said. “I don’t think A-Rod has to be sticking his neck out to say I told him to do something if that’s not what happened. If A-Rod needs to take the blame for something, I’m quite sure he does.”
“I didn’t understand that part, either. There’s no question in my mind that A-Rod’s the leader of that team and he does a great job. Maybe he thought he had some friends where he doesn’t have some friends. Now that those guys are gone, they’re voicing this. I don’t know how that’s fair.”
All this from the only one of Jennings, Driver and Woodson to actually get released while under contract!
You’re a class act, Chuck.
It all sounds like a touch of resentment tinged with a bit of dented egos. What’s the term? Sour grapes. That GB wants to use roster spots as a wiser investment to develop promising new talent vs keeping a veteran in the twilight of his career on the payroll so he can extend it to 15 yrs; or pay big bills for another established star WR w/injury issues is common sense mgt. The savings against salary cap enables the tm to fill other areas of need. It’s a business, times change and who really cares what former players think,(including Farve or even Rodgers someday). When it’s time to take a seat, some guys just can’t adjust.
One thing is sure, you’ll never hear complaints like this from A-Rod because as a class act, he always knows the score. As the top rated passer 2 yrs running, he does’nt even need to bother answering the critics which is something he he would never bother himself with anyway. His production is always the answer to sniping, it speaks for itself and the player very well indeed.
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